Celery seeds - how to plant

SkintMonkey

Thanks to some very kind bod here on MSE who told me about a giveaway recently, I've been sent some celery seeds

What should I do with them and when??

I have never planted seeds and have no idea what to do.

Please help!

valk_scot

Too late for celery this year. You need to start celery off indoors in the spring, then plant the young plants outside in the garden.

Dave101t

you say its late, i have loads of veg seeds id like to plant but ill keep on topic:
if you plant celery indoors, with a plastic bottle cover, would this be enough to stimulate the plant through autumn, or would sun-heat be required to allow decent growth?

(didnt want to add a post to the thread so ill say thank you here to valk scot for your informative reply below.)

valk_scot

Dave101t wrote: »

you say its late, i have loads of veg seeds id like to plant but ill keep on topic:
if you plant celery indoors, with a plastic bottle cover, would this be enough to stimulate the plant through autumn, or would sun-heat be required to allow decent growth?

You need enough hours of sufficiently strong light to be able to grow most veggie plants sucessfully. And there's correct temperature of course. Commercial growers can replicate these conditions up to a point but it would be extremely hard work to do it at home, unless you've got a very sophisticated greenhouse with temperature control and a daylight balanced lighting system. Even then, it's tricksy.

And of course each type of veg has it's own little preferences....

Basically it's a darn sight easier to stick to planting things at the right time of year. And it's a lot easier to grow things outdoors, if the climate is suitable, than to grow them in an artificial environment.

Zazen999

Celery grows fine during the winter...esp with cloches on them. I have stopped growing it as pure celery now though; I grow it in a tray in another watertight tray in the greenhouse [no greenhouse, try a sunny windowsill]. Keep the bottom tray an inch deep in water at all times.

Sow relatively thinly on top of compost, don't cover and keep wet.

Pick the celery as you would parsley....this way it grows back once you have used it.

Sow some more in the spring. And grow those in trenches so that you can earth them up for the whiter stems - and keep watered as much as you can through the summer or it goes stringy.