Celery

Sun

Full sun in cool climates; light afternoon shade where summers are hot.

Water

Keep the root zone consistently moist but not waterlogged. Water deeply whenever the soil surface starts to dry.

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive soil with good drainage and plenty of compost; pH 6.0-7.0.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m); flowering plants can reach 3 ft (0.9 m)

Spread

0.75-1 ft (0.23-0.3 m)

Foliage

Upright clusters of thick, ribbed green or pale green leaf stalks topped with divided, toothed, aromatic leaves.

Growth

Moderate; slow from seed.

Care needed

High

• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

Canada and the UK

Growth rate

Slow

• Mix well-rotted compost into the bed before planting, and space plants 8-12 in (20-30 cm) apart.
• Water regularly; do not let the soil dry out between waterings.
• Mulch around established plants to conserve moisture, keeping mulch clear of the crown.
• Feed with a balanced vegetable fertilizer according to its label, especially in containers.
• Harden seedlings off gradually and avoid planting them into prolonged cold, which can trigger premature flowering.
• For varieties that need blanching, exclude light from the lower stalks with clean cardboard sleeves for the final 2-3 weeks; keep the leaves exposed.

Pruning. No routine pruning is needed. Remove damaged or yellowing outer stalks at their base without injuring the central growing point.

Harvest when the stalks are thick, firm and large enough to use, commonly 3-5 months after transplanting, depending on variety and conditions. Cut individual outer stalks at the base for repeated picking, or cut the whole plant at soil level before severe frost; the leaves are also edible.

Late winter

For a spring-planted crop, sow indoors 10-12 weeks before planting out; surface-sow and keep evenly moist.

Spring

Prepare a compost-rich bed and harden seedlings off gradually.

Late spring

Plant out after frost risk has passed and prolonged cold is unlikely; water well and mulch.

Summer

Maintain steady moisture, feed as needed and inspect the crowns for slugs.

Late summer

Begin harvesting usable outer stalks; blanch varieties that require it shortly before the main harvest.

Autumn

Harvest remaining plants before severe frost. In mild, hot-summer regions, establish a cool-season crop instead.

• Plant in orderly rows in a potager, where the upright foliage gives structure among lower vegetables.
• Use along accessible vegetable-bed edges for frequent picking of outer stalks.
• Grow in large, moisture-retentive containers near the kitchen, with reliable watering.
• Combine with lettuce and beetroot in edible borders for contrasting leaf shapes and colours.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Edible landscape, Homestead, Cottage garden, Family-friendly and Green on green.

Plant it with: Lettuce, Leeks, Beetroot, Kale, Dwarf French beans and Calendula.

Wildlife: Plants left to flower produce small umbels visited by hoverflies, small bees and parasitic wasps. Flowering usually occurs in the second year and reduces stalk quality.

• Slugs and snails chew seedlings and stalks: remove hiding places, hand-pick after dark and use labelled iron-phosphate bait if needed.
• Celery leaf spot causes brown spotting and declining foliage: remove affected material, water at soil level, rotate crops and use clean seed.
• Dry soil causes tough, stringy stalks: mulch and maintain even moisture throughout growth.
• Premature flowering follows prolonged cold in young plants or other stress: delay planting into cold conditions and keep plants watered; harvest bolting plants promptly.

Celery is not known to be toxic to cats, dogs or horses in ordinary food amounts. Stalks and leaves are edible for people, but celery can cause serious allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. Sap on skin followed by sunlight can cause irritation or blistering, particularly when handling diseased plants.

• Lovage (Levisticum officinale)

  Lovage has a similar celery scent but forms a much taller perennial clump, with larger leaves and hollow flowering stems.

• Celeriac (Apium graveolens var. rapaceum)

  Celeriac is a cultivated form of the same species, selected for a swollen, knobbly stem base rather than thick edible stalks.

• Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)

  Poison hemlock has finely divided, fern-like leaves and usually purple-blotched stems, unlike celery's broader leaf segments and thick ribbed stalks. It is deadly poisonous;

The species name graveolens means strong-smelling, referring to celery's distinctive aroma.

Propagation. Grow from seed, usually started indoors. Press the tiny seeds onto moist seed compost without burying them deeply; germination can take 2-3 weeks. A cut celery base may regrow leaves but is not a reliable way to produce another full head.

Accepted botanical name

Apium graveolens

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada. Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Corse, Cyprus and Denmark.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 58 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.