Apium graveolens var. secalinum
Cutting celery
Common names: Leaf celery, Seasoning celery
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Spacing
- 20 cm, rows 30 cm
- Lifespan
- Biennial
- Sowing
- Mar–Jun
- Harvest
- Jun–Oct
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −8 °C
- Water need
- High
Photo: Rasbak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Cutting celery, botanically Apium graveolens var. secalinum, is the leaf form of celery. It does not form a root or thick stalks, but a dense bush of thin, hollow stems with dark green, glossy, deeply cut leaves that resemble flat-leaf parsley. The plant grows 30 to 40 cm tall. The leaves have a strong celery flavor, but milder than lovage, and season soups, stews, broths, sauces, salads and herb quark. Harvest continuously, as the plant regrows repeatedly. Its wild relative grows in moist salt marshes by the sea, so cutting celery also prefers evenly moist soil. It thrives in garden beds, balcony boxes and larger pots. As a biennial, it flowers only in its second year, with small, greenish white umbels.
Care instructions
Plant cutting celery in a sunny to partly shaded spot with humus-rich, moist soil. Pre-grow it indoors on a windowsill from March, or buy young plants and set them out after the Ice Saints in mid-May, 20 cm apart in rows 30 cm apart. Direct sowing is possible from late April to June. Water evenly and mulch the soil with grass clippings, because drought makes the leaves tough and causes the plant to bolt early. From June, continuously cut the outer leaves with scissors about 5 cm above the soil and leave the heart standing, so it regrows repeatedly. The celery leaf miner fly lays its eggs on the leaves, and its larvae feed from inside, leaving pale to brown spots. A crop protection net placed right after planting keeps them away, and pick off affected leaves. Use fresh what you do not need right away, or dry or freeze the rest.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–Jun
HarvestJun–Oct
FloweringJun–Aug
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 10 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 21 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, nutrient-rich, moist, loamy
Leaf celery grows best in loose, humus-rich soil that stays evenly moist. A fresh, loamy garden soil enriched with mature compost before planting is ideal. Drought makes the leaves tough, while standing wet makes the roots rot. So the soil should hold water and still let excess drain away. In a container, use good-quality herb compost, mix in a little compost and make sure there is a drainage hole.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
May–Jul
Leaf celery has a moderate nutrient requirement. Work mature compost into the soil before planting; that carries it through early summer. After the first cuts, give it a thin layer of compost or diluted nettle feed every four weeks. In a container, an organic liquid fertiliser in the water every two to three weeks is enough. Too much nitrogen makes the stems soft and susceptible, so stop feeding from August.
Overwintering
Leaf celery is biennial and survives the winter in the bed down to about minus 8 degrees if you cover it with leaves, brushwood or horticultural fleece. In harsh locations, keep it in a pot in a cold frame or in a cool, bright room. In its second spring it shoots again, but from June it sends up flower stems and the leaves become more bitter. If you want to keep harvesting tender leaves, sow it anew every year and let only one plant flower to produce seed.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate leaf celery from seed. The fine seeds only germinate in light: scatter them thinly on moist seed compost, press them in and cover them with no more than a very thin layer. At 18 to 20 °C germination often takes two to three weeks, and the compost must never dry out during that time. From March you raise the plants indoors and set them outside after the Ice Saints (mid-May). From the end of April you can also sow directly in the bed, with horticultural fleece over it if frost threatens, and further sowings follow until June. If you let a plant flower in its second year, seeds ripen in September, which you can harvest or leave to self-sow.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example GarlicOnionLeekChivesWild daffodilRocambole and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
daisy family (Asteraceae)
Calendula and Tagetes next to carrots keep the carrot fly away with their scent.
For example Head lettuceFrench marigoldCalendulaSunflowerButterhead lettuceCommon coneflower and 73 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice
legume family (Fabaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example PeaBush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled pea and 36 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Cutting celery yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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