Growing celery root

Celery root is a healthy vegetable with a high content of vitamins and minerals. To obtain greens and root crops, the plant is grown as an annual, to obtain seeds – as a biennial. Growing it is not difficult, since caring for root celery in the open field is simple and even a novice gardener can handle it.

Ways to grow root celery

It is possible to grow large root celery only through seedlings, since the plant has a long growing season. If the seeds are sown in open ground, they will sprout, but even early varieties will not have time to produce a crop. Therefore, seeds are sown for seedlings at the end of winter.

The most high-yielding and popular varieties of root celery:

1. Apple – from germination of seedlings to digging up root crops – 150 days. Root celery grows large, weighing about 200 g. Juicy greens and snow-white pulp are used for food.
2. Gribovsky – mid-season variety with large rounded roots. The pulp is fragrant, with good taste. Ripening occurs after 190 days. The variety is not whimsical in care, has a high shelf life.
3. Diamond – medium-early, high-yielding variety. The vegetable grows large, reaches 0,5 kg. Snow-white, fragrant pulp can be tasted in early August. The crop is well transported and stored.
4. Esaul – early ripe, unpretentious variety. About 150 days pass from the emergence of seedlings to the collection of juicy, snow-white pulp.
5. Egor – mid-season variety with round elongated fruits weighing up to 600 g. Snow-white pulp is fragrant with a high sugar content.

Root celery varieties size is one of the most popular. Since the root crop at full maturity reaches 2,5 kg. Juicy, white flesh has a nutty taste. The variety is unpretentious in care, grows well on fertile soil. The vegetable is used as a healthy independent dish or aromatic seasoning.

How to Grow Root Celery from Seeds

You can grow root celery in open ground only through seedlings. To do this, it is necessary to choose the right seed, planting capacity and nutrient soil.

When to sow celery root for seedlings

For high fruiting, it is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings in a timely manner. Sowing can be started in early February, as young seedlings do not stretch and do not need additional illumination. But if the sowing is late, then the harvest will be poor or will not have time to ripen. For the Central, North-Western region of Our Country, early varieties of root celery are suitable. In regions with warm and long summers, both early and late varieties of root celery can be planted.

Selection of planting capacity and soil preparation

Any container is suitable for growing seedlings: boxes, plastic or peat cups, containers or special cassettes. Before sowing seeds, the container is scalded with boiling water.

Earth mix can be purchased at the store or mixed by yourself. To prepare nutrient soil, it is necessary to mix soddy soil, peat, humus, mullein in a ratio of 1:6:2:1. You can also mix biohumus and river sand 1:1. Properly prepared soil is light, loose, homogeneous and nutritious.

Seed preparation

Seeds of root celery are best purchased at a specialized store. When buying, you need to check the expiration date, since germination lasts 2-3 years.

Since the seed contains a high content of essential oils, it must be processed before sowing. To do this, the seeds are wrapped in gauze and placed in water at room temperature. Water must be renewed 6 times every 4 hours.

You can also carry out pre-sowing germination. To do this, the saucer is covered with a damp cloth, the seeds are distributed on top, the container is cleaned in a warm room. In the process of germination, the tissue must be constantly moistened.

Planting root celery for seedlings

Fruiting and taste qualities depend on properly grown seedlings. Seeds can be sown in 2 ways:

1. Traditional. The container is filled with nutritious moistened soil. If sowing is done in a box, then furrows are made with a toothpick at a distance of 3 cm. The treated seeds are distributed in grooves according to the 2×2 scheme. Seeds are sprinkled with earth, covered with polyethylene or glass and cleaned in a well-lit, warm place.
2. Under the snow Grooves 7 mm wide are made in the ground, filled with snow along their entire length. Crops are covered with glass and cleaned in a warm place. The method is good because the seeds can be placed at the proper distance on a white background. Also, when the snow melts, the seeds will sink to the optimal depth, and the melt water will accelerate germination.

Pre-soaked seeds will germinate in 10 days, dry seeds will take 2 times longer.

Seed care

Seedling care is easy. For growth and development, it is necessary to observe the temperature and humidity conditions. The optimum temperature for germination is + 18-22 °C. Until the moment sprouts appear, the soil is not irrigated, since the accumulated condensate will be enough to moisten the earth.

After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed, and the container is transferred to the brightest place. Since daylight is short in winter, most gardeners spend additional illumination of seedlings. But strong seedlings can be grown without additional light, since root celery is not prone to stretching when grown.

After the appearance of 2-3 sheets, the first pick is carried out. The second time at the age of one month. In each case, when transplanting seedlings into a larger pot, the root system is shortened by 1/3 of the length.

In April, properly grown seedlings should grow in pots with a diameter of 10 cm. At this time, they begin to harden them, take them out into the open air, increasing the residence time daily. Watering seedlings is carried out as the soil dries out, as excessive irrigation can lead to the appearance of a black leg.

How to grow celery root outdoors

Root celery is unpretentious in cultivation and care. With the right choice of variety and compliance with agrotechnical rules, even a novice gardener can grow a vegetable.

Terms of planting root celery in the ground

Celery is planted in a permanent place at the age of 70-80 days. Since the plant is not frost-resistant and can die in unheated soil, there is no need to rush to plant. The optimum soil temperature should be + 10 ° C and above. There is no specific planting date, it all depends on the region and climatic conditions. Under the film, seedlings can be planted in mid or early May. If you are late with the planting dates, the root celery will outgrow and bring a poor harvest.

Selection and preparation of the landing site

The area under the root celery should be in a well-lit place. On swampy soil and with a close occurrence of groundwater, seedlings are planted on high beds, since increased soil moisture leads to the death of the plant. Best root celery will grow on:

• loamy soil, with a high content of humus;
• cultivated peat bog;
• fertile lowland soil.

The optimal predecessors will be potatoes and all types of cabbage. Celery beds can be made in the neighborhood, where onions, cucumbers, lettuce, and beets will grow. Bad neighbors will be tomatoes, potatoes, legumes.

Planting root celery in open ground

Since root celery during growth forms a powerful leaf rosette and a large root crop, the distance between plantings should not be less than 30-40 cm, between rows – 70 cm.

The prepared well is shed, add 1 tbsp. l. wood ash and planted seedlings. The plant is carefully sprinkled with earth, the top layer is rammed. So that there are no air voids between the roots, the planting is shed abundantly. After irrigation, the surface is sprinkled with dry earth and mulched.

For quick adaptation, seedlings are planted in cloudy, calm weather. After planting, the bed is covered with a covering material to protect against spring frosts.

Root celery is grown according to all agrotechnical rules. Care consists of weeding, loosening, watering and feeding.

How to feed celery and how to water

Root celery is a moisture-loving plant. Therefore, it needs regular, plentiful watering. Irrigation is carried out after planting seedlings and before harvesting. The main rule in care is to prevent drying and waterlogging of the soil. As a rule, watering is carried out once every 2-3 days, early in the morning or late in the evening.

At the stage of growing green mass, the plant needs nitrogen, during the formation of root crops – in potassium, for better ripening – in phosphorus. The first dressing is applied 2 weeks after planting the seedlings. To do this, you can use green fertilizer made from nettles. As a potassium-phosphorus top dressing, ash infusion is used.

Weeding and loosening

After each watering, the earth must be loosened, as this is an important point in the care. This procedure will allow air to penetrate into the lower soil layer, which will lead to a better formation of the root system.

Hilling root celery is not recommended, as an earthen embankment leads to a decrease in yield. On the contrary, as the root crop grows, the soil is raked from the plant. With this approach, the root crop grows large and regular in shape.

Regular weeding is needed, as weeds are carriers of diseases, and they limit the growth of celery.

Removal of excess leaves and roots

Root celery has edible and fleshy, juicy leaves. But with mass cutting of the green mass, it can harm the taste of the vegetable. Therefore, only 1-2 leaves can be cut daily. It is better to remove the extreme lower leaves.

How to grow root celery without a “beard”

Planting and caring for root celery is not difficult, but gardeners often observe a large number of small roots on the root crop when harvesting.

In order for the vegetable to look attractive, grow large, juicy and fragrant, it is necessary to remove excess land as it grows. In the process of ongoing care, a large number of lateral small roots can be found. They must be removed, as they not only spoil the presentation, but also suck out all the nutrients from the vegetable, making it less juicy.

Protection against diseases and pests

With proper care, root celery rarely suffers from diseases. But there are times when insect pests or various diseases appear on the plant. This is due to non-compliance with crop rotation and with the wrong choice of neighbors. Most often on the plant appear:

1. cucumber mosaic – you can recognize the disease by the appearance of the foliage. Spots appear on it, yellow rings, between which a mesh pattern appears. The main carriers are aphids, wind, raindrops.
2. septoriosis – the leaves are covered with small spots of a rounded shape. As a result, the leaf plate curls and dries out. The disease often progresses in spring, autumn in cloudy rainy weather.
3. White rot – in the initial stage of the disease, the fungus infects the foliage, without treatment it immediately moves to the root crop, thereby destroying the crop. It is impossible to get rid of the disease, so the infected plant must be removed in a timely manner so that the disease does not spread to neighboring crops.
4. celery fly – with the onset of warm days lays eggs on the plant. The hatched larvae feed on the juice of the stem and root. Without treatment, the plant weakens and may die.

To prevent mass infection, you must follow simple rules of care:

• treat seeds before planting;
• regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds;
• to observe a crop rotation;
• when the first signs of the disease appear, treat: from insect pests – with insecticides, from diseases – with fungicides.

Harvesting

Harvesting time for root celery depends on the variety and climatic conditions. Early-ripening varieties begin to be harvested in early September, late-ripening – in early October. Timely maintenance is responsible for quality and quantity.

Collection time is determined by yellowing foliage. But do not rush to harvest, as a ripe vegetable can tolerate minor frosts. A ripe crop is easily pulled out of the garden, but when harvesting, you can use a pitchfork, trying not to cause mechanical damage.

After harvesting, the vegetables are inspected, the foliage is cut, cleaned from the ground and left to dry. After drying, they are laid out in prepared containers and removed for long-term storage. If the root celery is planned to be eaten immediately, it is removed in a plastic bag and placed in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, celery is removed to the cellar, where the air temperature does not rise above + 1 ° C.

Is it possible to leave root celery before winter

Often, gardeners grow root celery as a biennial plant. In the second year, the plant produces an arrow on which seeds are formed. Celery care consists of watering, loosening and weeding. At the end of August, seeds ripen on the plant, which are stored until planting in paper bags in a dry, dark place.

What to plant after celery root

Every gardener knows how important it is to observe crop rotation. In the garden after growing root celery, they will grow beautifully:

• cabbage;
• cucumbers;
• bow;
• legumes;
• strawberries;
• grapes.

Carrots, tomatoes, spicy herbs, but radishes after celery are not recommended to be grown, as crops have similar diseases and insect pests.

Conclusion

Caring for root celery in the open field is a simple task, even a novice gardener can handle it. To obtain a rich harvest, it is necessary to carry out timely watering, fertilizing, loosening and weeding. Growing celery root is not only getting a useful root crop, but also a very interesting, exciting activity that requires a minimum of effort and time.