A delicious and fragrant vegetable of celery is often grown in their gardens by summer residents, experienced and not very much. In order to guarantee a good harvest of this root crop, ask what the rules are for cultivating various types of celery from seeds.
Secrets of growing celery
The main difference between planting celery when growing from seeds is that its already small seeds do not need to be embedded in the ground. In order for them to successfully germinate, they need access to sunlight, so sow this culture should be like this:
- tightly press the seeds to the ground;
- cover cups with seedlings with polyethylene film or glass;
- put seedlings in a warm (+ 20-25 ° C) and a bright place;
- until germination of seeds, the soil must be regularly moistened with irrigation through a tray or spraying.
Seedlings should appear after 1.5-2 weeks, after which the celery seedlings are transferred to a cooler place and remove the shelter. When the seedlings give 2 or 3 leaves, dive them into boxes with a spacing between sprouts of 6-7 cm. Another option is the usual thinning of seedlings while maintaining the same interval, if it is planted in one pallet.
Until warm weather sets in without frosts (in different regions this may be the middle or the end of May), do not rush to transplant the celery. This should be done when the street temperature reaches the level of 19-22 ° C - it is optimal for the normal development of this culture, which provides a guarantee for the growth of stalks and root crops.
Growing celery through seedlings is preferable, and that's why. Of course, you can plant the seeds directly into the ground, especially if it is a frost-resistant variety. However, when the seeds of this culture are found in the sun-warmed earth (10 ° C and below), the two-year-old celery stems can appear in the first year, and then you will not be able to get a good harvest.
Celery - further cultivation and care
Before planting seedlings, prepare the soil for celery. Ideal predecessors for this plant are cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes or cucumbers . But to plant celery after parsley, carrots or parsnip is not worth it.
The soil for cultivation of this crop from the autumn is desirable to dig and fertilize with compost or humus, and in the spring - to make there a complex fertilizer from the necessary minerals.
Having planted seedlings, carefully watch how it will take. The most faint and listless sprouts without regret delete. As a result, between plants you should have such a distance:
- for root celery - 30-40 cm;
- for leaf and petiolate varieties - 15-20 cm.
Also do not forget to weed and loosen the soil in time.
Watering the celery loves the abundant, as it is a very moisture-loving culture. In the heat, it takes up to 5 liters of water per 1 m2 of crops, and it is desirable that the water is soft.
As for feeding, they need celery, like any other garden culture. If you want your root celery to grow powerful and tasty, prepare to feed it with potassium . It is desirable to fertilize the leafy and leafy species with nitrogen as well. These substances should be introduced into the soil two weeks after the seedlings were planted, and then again, after three weeks.
The peculiarity of growing celery celery from seeds is the need for so-called bleaching. Before harvesting, in a few weeks, the plant should begin to mow. As a result, the petioles become, first, lighter, and secondly, they will lose bitterness, which has a beneficial effect on the taste of this vegetable.
The harvest of celery is harvested in the autumn, before the onset of frost. Before this, you need to cut off all the greens from it, which you can dry or freeze, and then dig up the tubers. Another option is to place root crops in containers with soil - so you can grow celery at home almost all winter.