Water Often<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCelery needs a lot of water. If you bite into a nice, crispy stalk of celery, the first thing you notice is how watery it is, and that\u2019s a good thing. The water is why celery is so healthy and satisfying. Since celery is so full of water, it takes a lot to grow it properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It absorbs water quickly and needs to be watered often. If your soil is dry on top, your celery needs to be watered. On the other hand, you can water the plants too much. If the water soaks into the plant’s roots and saturates the soil at all times, it could cause the roots to rot or allow a fungus to grow on the celery plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You should check the celery daily or create an irrigation system that gives it the perfect amount of water when it needs it. This will save you time and save your plants from drying out or getting root rot<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n9. Celery Pest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n When the springtime starts to show itself, and the ground begins to thaw, your seedlings come to life, but so do thousands of insects. These pesky insects can ruin a crop in a matter of weeks if left uncontrolled. Losing all of your hard work to bugs is a devastating experience, and it\u2019s a preventable occurrence with the right pest management techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carrot rust flies, parsley worms, and nematodes are insects that threaten every celery garden, along with leaf tiers. Leaf tiers present the most significant danger to your crop, as these tiny caterpillars create brown, sunken areas on the celery stems, resulting in premature wilting and skewed growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, you don\u2019t need to use toxic pesticides to keep bugs off of your plants. Planting a row of marigolds around the edge of your garden helps to keep insects away from your crop. Purchase some organic tobacco, soak it in water overnight, and then spray your plants. Insects hate the taste of the juice on the foliage, and you can rinse it off after harvest with no unpleasant taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n10. Celery Diseases<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Along with the challenge of dealing with pests, you need to inspect your celery crop for signs of disease. Diseases can pop up on your plants overnight, and if left untreated, can cause systemic crop failure that spreads to other areas of the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common diseases associated with growing celery includes both late and early blight, which shows up as tiny spots on the foliage, which slowly develop into large brown spots, killing the tender leaves of the plant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pink rot is another concern for celery growers. This disease presents signs of decay at the base of the celery stem, resulting in discoloration that looks white or off-pink in color. These pathogens can infect the soil around the bottom of the plant, surviving through the winter season to contaminate the following year’s crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Treat any fungal or bacterial disease with an appropriate organic fungicide available from an online retailer. Add some additional beneficial microbes to the soil to help the celery recover faster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n11. Identify Soil Deficiencies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Celery gardeners need to pay attention to soil preparation before they plant the first crop of the spring. Tilling and fertilizing the soil is a critical process that requires gardeners to understand the growing medium suitable for their celery crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visit your local nursery with a soil sample and ask them to analyze it for pH levels and nutrients. The test will show any deficiencies, allowing you to make the necessary adjustments to the mineral profile of your garden to optimize the growth and yield of your plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Examining your plants once or twice a week is all you need to identify any signs of nutrients deficiencies. Look out for cracked and distorted stems, which could be a sign of boron deficiency, which is common in celery. Add some liquid seaweed extract to water and give the foliage a spray. This technique will keep the leaves looking green and healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Distorted leaves and cracked stems can indicate a boron-deficient soil. Correct the balance by spraying plants with liquid seaweed extract every two weeks until symptoms disappear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n12. Growing Celery in a Greenhouse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Celery requires a minimum of six hours of sunlight a day, and warm conditions to thrive. Therefore, growers living in the Northern States, where sunlight is at a premium during the summer months, should consider growing in a greenhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A greenhouse provides the grower with the ability to control the temperature, lighting, and moisture. Therefore, celery crops tend to finish faster and produce a higher yield than plants grown in outdoor gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greenhouse growing also allows the gardener to extend the daylight hours by installing a growing light to simulate the sunlight and keep the celery producing stems throughout the winter months. Heated greenhouses allow you to grow crops throughout the year, regardless of the external climate conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, you don’t need to go to the expense of installing additional equipment in your greenhouse. A simple structure will help you plant earlier, extending your growing season by letting you plant succession crops after your first harvest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n13. Growing Celery In Containers <\/h3>\n\n\n\n If you live in a cold climate, such as the Northern States, then get a headstart on the celery growing season by starting your seeds indoors. You’ll need a container to start and some high-quality potting soil. Add a handful of vermiculite to the soil mix to improve drainage and retain moisture in the growing medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ensure that the pot or container has drainage holes in the bottom to prevent the celery from getting it’s “feet wet,” a condition that results in waterlogging of the roots and rot. Avoid rot by keeping the soil mix light and airy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When starting celery, you don’t have to worry about the stems falling over as the plants are small. However, ensure that you add more soil to the growing medium when transplanting, to ensure the stems have a stable growing medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Celery won’t take much strain when transplanting. However, ensure that you do it on an overcast day, and water the celery well after transplanting to prevent wilting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n14. Build Raised Beds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Another strategy to speed up growth in your celery is to use raised beds. Find a loading bay at your local supermarket, and you\u2019re bound to find soil, unused pallets lying around. Take them home, split them up, and use the wood to build the frame for your flowerbed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The raised bed helps to keep the roots off of the ground in the early stages of the spring, keeping them warmer than traditional planting methods. Planting in raised beds also enhances the airflow around the roots, resulting in faster growth, and larger celery stems at harvest time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you live in a colder region of the country, build your raised bed before the start of the winter. Fill it with soil and the necessary fertilizer, then leave it to rest over the winter before tilling in the spring as you start your seeds. The enriched soil will produce healthy celery stems, while allowing you the room to plant a succession crop, allowing you to maximize the growing season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n15. Store-Bought Vs Organic Celery <\/h3>\n\n\n\n Growing celery in the garden is a tremendously satisfying experience when you sit down to your first salad featuring the produce for your garden. However, may celery gardeners are surprised with the look of their organic celery harvest when compared to store-bought celery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your celery may be shorter and thinner, with darker green color compared to what you see in the supermarket. The reason for the difference comes in the growing medium. Commercial celery farmers use hydroponic methods to produce crops, resulting in a shorter growing time, and larger yield during harvest. The hydroponic growth of celery and other vegetables involves the use of specialized chemical fertilizers that enhance the growth and production of the veggies to meet surging demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, as an organic gardener planting celery, there is no need to scale production methods, and no need to use chemical fertilizer. The result is sweeter, tastier celery, with a lower harvest yield, and no harmful chemicals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n