This is the third year in which I have grown Celeriac. The first year was more or less a complete failure. Last year I had a very small crop. This year I have gone to great lengths to do better. I have been giving my Celeriac a feed of general-purpose liquid plant food each week for about two months now, and I am watering the stuff with almost religious fervour - at least once a day, sometimes more often. I have read that the application of copious amounts of water is vital to success. You know how they force-feed geese to make foie gras? Well, imagine my Celeriac being urged to drink up more and more water...
Anyway, so far, so good. My six plants are looking healthy enough, and the bulbs are now about the size of a tennis ball. Not big enough! I'm hoping to get them to about the size of grapefruit before the cold weather sets in.
As the plants grow, the bases of the outer leaves split one by one and fall over. At this point you should remove the leaf, and any little side-shoots that appear, to keep the bulb reasonably smooth, and to allow light to reach it.
Anybody else out there growing Celeriac? If so, please let me know how yours is doing, and give me any advice you can on how to get good results!
We've tried growing celeriac in the past with no success whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI have tried it once but no success here either. Yours look really good to me.
ReplyDeleteStrewth if you're having trouble growing it then I reckon I'm gonna give it a miss
ReplyDeletei.have.never.grown.it...but.may.give.it.a.go.this.year.
ReplyDeleteForgive my ignorance, but you growing it for the bulb, not the stalk right?
ReplyDeletejust got some seed to grow celeriac this year, hmmm now I'm a little apprehensive! Hope they're worth the wait.
ReplyDeleteMark I tried to grow celeriac this year and not one seed came up, so you are already light years ahead of me. Let us know how it goes, I would really like to be successful with it next season.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember my supermarket hard tomatoes? Well, I followed your suggestion and have been cooking them when we have our bacon and egg breakfasts. Perfect. Thank you!
Hi Mark, your post is quite timely for me. I was looking at my celeriac this week and wondering when they should be harvested. My bulbs are smaller than yours however the plants look strong and healthy (as do yours). I'm thinking i'll have to harvest at tennis ball size as I doubt i'll get mine much bigger? This is the first year i've grown them. They were started off inside about the same time as your sowing and then planted out in early June. Fingers crossed I get a few plants to eat (at some stage). Do you eat the stems at all?
ReplyDeleteI am observing your celeriac. Never grown them or eat them. Hmmm...they do take time to grow.
ReplyDeleteI have tried them before without much success and if you have to go a lot of bother I don't think they will get a look in in my garden. You are obviously very modest about your achievement.
ReplyDeleteLooking good Mark. Am worried about my sole surviving celeriac now, it is growing in amongst squash plants, so is quite shaded. Ah well, I can but try!
ReplyDelete