Celery
Pascal Celery, Leaf Celery, Garden Celery
One of the most demanding vegetables — needs rich soil, consistent moisture, and cool temperatures. Start indoors 10–12 weeks before last frost; seeds germinate slowly at 70°F. Blanch stalks by hilling soil or wrapping with cardboard 2–3 weeks before harvest for tender, mild stalks. Heavy feeder requiring regular liquid feeding. Extremely prone to wilting under stress.
- Germination
- 10–21 days
- Soil temperature
- 16–24 °C
- Harvest after planting
- 100–130 days
- Spacing
- 25–30 cm
When to plant celery
Start seeds indoors 10–12 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out 1–3 weeks after it.
Dashed line: typical last spring frost in zone 7 (Apr 5). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow celery
- 1
Sow indoors
Sow on the surface 10–12 weeks before the last frost at about 21 °C. Germination is slow, 10–21 days.
- 2
Plant out
Plant after all frost danger has passed, 25–30 cm apart, into rich, moisture-retentive soil.
- 3
Water and feed
Celery needs constant moisture and regular liquid feeding; any stress makes stalks stringy. Wrap stalks or earth them up 2–3 weeks before harvest for milder, paler stems.
- 4
Harvest
Cut whole plants or outer stalks from 100–130 days after planting.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
High water
Temperature
4–24 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
100–130 days
Ideal soil pH
6.5–7
How Tomatograph watches your celery
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for early blight, which thrives in those conditions.
- Under 5 mm of rain forecast over 3 daysWatering reminder: water deeply at the base, early in the morning.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Celery questions
- When should I plant celery?
- Start seeds indoors 10–12 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out 1–3 weeks after it.
- How long do celery seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 10–21 days at a soil temperature of 16–24 °C.
- How long until I can harvest celery?
- About 100–130 days after planting out, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant celery?
- Allow 25–30 cm between plants.
- What grows well with celery?
- Good neighbours include leek, tomato, cabbage, onion.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).