As regular readers will know, I have grown my plants from seed which was sown indoors on 1st March. Since then I have gradually acclimatised the plants to outdoor conditions, and they have spent the last couple of weeks outside but protected at night time by one of the plastic mini-greenhouses. I felt that they now looked strong enough to fend for themselves.
I have 8 sturdy plants, all looking really healthy, but I only have room to grow 6, so I have done my usual "Selection of the fittest" process, and two have been relegated to the Spares area. I am hoping not to need them, and they may well end up as more donations to the Hospital Fete...
We have had really dry weather for the past few weeks, and the soil in my raised beds is almost like powder! Since I know that Celeriac is an especially thirsty plant I soaked the planting area really well, such that the soil became almost boggy. This will give the plants a good start, but I will be keeping a very careful eye on them to ensure that they are never short of water. Here they are in their final home, next to the lettuces. They are spaced at intervals of approximately 12" / 30cm.
This will be my third year growing Celeriac. The first year I had effectively no crop at all. Last year a couple of my plants produced roots about the size of a tennis ball. This year I am determined to do better! Although I thought I had given my plants enough water last year and the year before, I have read that Celeriac needs "copious" amounts of water if it is to do well, so I will probably be watering them every day during the Summer.
"Why bother growing Celeriac?" you may ask. Well, it's a challenge, isn't it? All gardeners enjoy a challenge. I know I can buy a fully matured Celeriac bulb in the supermarket for about £1 these days, but it's just not the same as having your own home-grown one! It's just a matter of perfecting the technique...
The plants look very healthy and I wish you good luck with them. I have never grown or even tasted celeriac.
ReplyDeletewe eat a lot of celeriac here I planted some on Christmas day how long does it usually take before you can harvest it?
ReplyDeleteCathy; Celeriac normally takes about 9 or 10 months from seed to plate (in theory at least!) It keeps fairly well though - in the ground, I mean, so you can be flexible about when to harvest it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
ReplyDeleteSome receipes for the future ;-)
For the salad, I grate the celeriac and put in a water which include lots of lemon juice. After 1 hour, I squeeze them by hand and mix with the garlic yogurt. While I was in UK, I prefer Onken plain and Set Natural one or YeoValley.
And the others...
http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-INT/skylife/2011/january/articles/winters-artichoke-celeriac.aspx
http://www.turkish-cuisine.org/english/pages.php?ParentID=5&FirstLevel=89&PagingIndex=2
Thanks for this post. By coincidence I am trying to grow celeriac for the first time this year. Each peat pot cell has one seedling with one true leaf, but I fear afraid the cold nights have done for them already (especially if an early cold shock stops them bulking up).
ReplyDeleteThey certainly look healthy specimens, Mark. I will be interested to see how they grow.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see the leaves. We have loveage - the leaves taste of celery and look like your celeriac ones.
ReplyDeleteAt the garden centre, the other day, I saw angelica - and I wouldn't have been able to tell it from loveage, bar the smell.
Esther
Oh they do look good... do you know what I'd like? I'd like to be able to pop over to yours and purchase your excess seedlings... they always look so healthy, not like my poor bedraggled lot.
ReplyDeleteOr better still, we could do a banana/seedling swap.
Deal?
Ali; If you were nearby I'd happily give you my excess seedlings for free. I have this week been giving away some of my spares. I never sell them - it's too much trouble when such small quantities are involved. Gardeners are a supportive clan, so I'd certainly be up for a swap, especially since you're so much better than me at growing bananas!
ReplyDeleteEsther: some people use Celeriac leaves as a herb. They certainly add a nice flavour to home-made stock.
ReplyDeleteThey look great - and much bigger than ours which were sown a few weeks after yours I think. Suspect we'll be digging ours out of the frozen ground in the winter then! Mental note ... sow celeriac earlier next year...
ReplyDeleteCeleriac just refuses to grow on our plots - it could be a soil thing as our plot neighbours have the same problem.
ReplyDeleteGood celeriac tips. I'm growing for the first time this year. My seedlings are tiny... wondering if my first year will be like yours? Here's hoping I get some success - maybe with the tips you've given!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you it is the challenge that makes gardening more interesting. Good Luck with the celeriac!
ReplyDeleteGood luck Mark! My celeriac seedlings are looking rather sickly, and I've already lost two. No idea why - I had been thinking "too much water" but now I am wondering if it is actually a case of too little... Ah well, there's always next year!
ReplyDeleteJudging by the comments, anyone would think I was a Celeriac-growing expert, not a failed amateur! I do have to say though that even though I am away from home for a few days at present, I did have the foresight to check the weather forecast and I did cover my Celeriac plants with a layer of fleece before leaving home - for which I expect they were very grateful last night.
ReplyDeleteI'm also on the third year of challenging myself to grow a decent sized celeriac root and will be very happy if I achieve a tennis ball sized root this year. We grow nice celery plants but our celeriac has left much to be desired...especially last year. Hope you and I both do well with it this season.:)
ReplyDelete