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lolear

Celery disappointment

lolear
10 years ago

This is my first try at growing celery. I found some starts at a local plant sale this spring found a good spot for them in the garden and they appear to be doing great. No bugs or diseases seem to be interested in them and they have grown unhindered. I thought they were big enough to try some. Disappointment. Although the stalks are not overly large, the texture is stringy. Is this a function of growing conditions, variety or have I let them go too long? Any pointers?
Thanks.

Comments (9)

  • ceth_k
    10 years ago

    The could be the variety. Try another variety next time to see if it is still the same,

  • gjcore
    10 years ago

    They might be stringy due to lack of watering. Celery needs to be kept moist. I need to hand water mine every day.

  • glib
    10 years ago

    Usually the stringier ones have much more flavor. I grow smallage, and the flavor is incredible.

  • Masbustelo
    10 years ago

    Lolear The celery needs to be blanched. Take some cardboard, and cut it the length of the plant, but let the leaves be exposed. Then moisten the cardboard and wrap the stems and tie it all into a tube with string. Let it be like this for a few weeks or a month. Also it is still early for the celery. It will keep growing and put on a lot of fall growth in the cooler fall weather. The plant quality will improve, wait until November to harvest if you want.

  • nancyjane_gardener
    10 years ago

    I didn't know about the blanching. Good to know!
    When I grew it a few years ago, I just used it in soups. It was very strong and tasty.
    I've just started a few stumps from the grocery store, so we'll se what the texture is like. I'll try the blanching too! Nancy

  • lolear
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Masbustelo: does blanching contribute to making the celery less stringy or just paler? I have been covering the stems with straw. There are drip emitters under the straw so it should stay pretty moist. I don't know the variety as they were just marked "celery" at the community plant sale where I bought the starts. I will definitely wait to harvest more, though! Thanks all for the info!

  • Masbustelo
    10 years ago

    I don't know if it will make them less stringy, but it will make them more edible. Only one way to find out. I'm curious too. Let us know.

  • Mark
    10 years ago

    Sorry, blanching will help with flavor by limiting chlorophyll production, but it won't do a thing for texture. The stringy stalks are from not enough water while growing, as someone else said. Celery feeder roots are very shallow and need lots of surface moisture.

    Don't give up hope though, It still might get better over the fall with the cooler weather.

    I've been growing it for market for a dozen years now and still think celery is one of the more difficult plants to grow unless you have the right soil and the right climate, which I don't. :(

    -Mark

  • terrene
    10 years ago

    Lolear, how big are your stalks now?

    I accidentally bought a flat of celery seedlings this Spring, because I thought they were flat leaf parsley. Decided to just plant them, and bought some more parsley seedlings. (Usually I start parsley from seed, but accidentally fried the seedlings.)

    Have never grown celery before, and am wondering how big they should be by now. Mine are only about 1/4 inch thickness.