How to Grow Celery
Apium graveolens
Celery is a crisp, cool-season herb prized for its savory stalks and aromatic leaves. Gardeners grow it to add fresh flavor to salads, soups, and snacks while enjoying its high water content.
📷 Wikipedia: CeleryStarting Celery: indoors or direct sow?
🏠 Start indoors 12 weeks before your last spring frost, then move the seedlings outside.
Start seeds indoors 12 weeks before the last frost and transplant seedlings outdoors once they are sturdy enough to handle cooler air.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. As a cool-season crop, start seeds indoors 12 weeks before your last frost date or sow directly outdoors after the danger of hard freezes has passed but while soil remains cool. Press seeds lightly into the surface; do not cover deeply as they need light to germinate. Expect sprouts in 14 to 21 days.
Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart once established. Provide consistent moisture, ensuring the soil never dries out, and apply a thick layer of mulch to retain humidity. Install sturdy stakes or cages immediately to support tall stalks against wind. Feed regularly with a balanced fertilizer since celery is a heavy feeder.
Watch for aphids, slugs, and leaf blight; use row covers early in the season to deter pests and diseases. Harvest main crop stalks after 100 to 130 days from sowing when they reach full size. Cut outer stalks first or pull the whole plant if growing for seeds.
When to Plant Celery
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | April – May | — | July – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | — | July – October |
| Zone 5 | March – April | — | June – October |
| Zone 6 | March – April | — | June – November |
| Zone 7 | February – March | — | June – November |
| Zone 8 | February – March | — | May – December |
| Zone 9 | January – February | — | April – December |
| Zone 10 | January | — | April – December |
