Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
It is early spring, and these celery roots have overwintered well, embedded in sand.
Celery seeds
Isolation distance between celery varieties in an ideally sited garden should be at least 500 ft. (150
m); otherwise, use an isolation cage. As with all umbellifers, hoverflies are the best pollinators, fol-
lowed by carrion flies and houseflies. Honeybees pollinate minimally at best.
GROWING FOR SEED
All forms of celery are cultivated biennially for seed. In the first year it is grown
for seed just like it would be grown for produce. It is important to avoid planting too deep when plant-
ing out celery seedlings to keep the development of side roots to a minimum. Where late blight is a
problem, use 28 in. (70 cm) as plant spacing between and within the row instead of 20 in. (50 cm),
which helps prevent the fungus from spreading. Plants for seed production can be selected directly
from plots that are otherwise for production. Take care not to injure the plant, because, especially with
root celery, small injuries in autumn can lead to significant rotting of the plant in storage. Dig up with
a spade and leave the roots alone to encourage better growth in the spring. Remove all stalks down to
those coming from the heart and cut those back to about an inch (2 cm). Store them such that the
plants do not touch each other, to minimize rot through the winter. They should enter the root cellar
dry for better overwintering.
Plants can be overwintered outdoors only in zones free of frost, though hardiness varies from variety
to variety. Peter Lassnig, long-time curator for Arche Noah, reports that at his zone 6 farm, small cel-
ery plants overwinter better outdoors under row cover (with leaves or straw, as needed) than in the root
cellar. In wet weather, pull plant protection away from plants to prevent rot. Straw helps prevent early
growth in spring. Remove row cover when the ground has cleared (early to mid spring). Seed yield is
typically higher for plants overwintered outdoors, though plants that spent the winter in the root cellar
have typically been better observed and more carefully selected.
