Celery root: growing, care
Celery root will be an excellent source of vitamins and minerals for the whole winter. But getting a good harvest of this vegetable will take some effort. After all, the plant has many secrets that a gardener should know about.
The root crop has a rather long ripening period, so it is recommended to grow it in seedlings. Sowing seeds is best done at the end of February. Do not forget to soak the material in water at room temperature for 2 days. Then you will significantly increase its germination.
Celery root requires increased attention
For sowing, a box will be required, as well as soil consisting of humus, sand and turf. Make shallow grooves in the soil, keeping a row spacing of 3 cm. Lay out the seeds, lightly dust them with earth and sprinkle with water. Next, cover the box with glass or plastic and place it in a room with a temperature of + 25 ° C.
In our climate, celery often does not mature in time. Therefore, it is recommended to plant only early vegetable varieties. Diamant, Yablochny and Prague giant have proven themselves well
It is recommended to constantly moisten the seedlings and illuminate them with a phytolamp. In addition, plants need to be fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. Thin the beds as you grow and leave the strongest shoots. You need to transplant the plant into open ground in mid-May. Celery is quite finicky and requires 7 pH soil to grow properly.
For a root crop, it is better to choose a well-lit area with fertile soil.
During planting, make sure that the root of the vegetable is not deeply buried in the ground and the growing point is located above the ground. Otherwise, you risk getting celery with spikes. In addition, keep a distance of 30 cm between each root crop.
It will take a lot of effort to grow a large root crop without adventitious roots and processes. Basic rules for caring for a vegetable:
- Don’t cut off all the leaves from the growing celery. Otherwise, the fruit will not have time to ripen. If you want fresh herbs, then take only the outermost leaves.
- Do not huddle the beds. This will lead to the growth of adventitious roots.
- When the vegetable begins to thicken, gently scoop up the soil from the top and remove the side appendages with a knife.
- Loosen the aisles until the foliage closes over the bed.
- It is recommended to feed the vegetable 2-3 times over the summer with nitrogen fertilizers.
Particular attention should be paid to watering the root crop. Try to keep the soil constantly moist, but do not flood the plant. Watering celery is done at the root. It must be continued from the moment of planting to harvest. In most cases, celery ripens by early October. But you need to collect it before the first frost.
You can grow large, fragrant and juicy vegetables if you follow all the rules for planting and caring for this root vegetable. So if you want to get a rich harvest of root celery in your area, then get ready to pay a lot of attention to it.