When is the best time to plant celery? How to plant celery and when to plant it

Among leafy vegetables, celery is the most common and easy to grow. This type of celery has very few insect pests and needs almost no care or spraying during cultivation. It can be planted all year round, either in pots or in the ground. It grows plump and delicious.

Celery Planting Time

Celery can be sown all year round , but it is best to sow it in spring and autumn. The climate in the north and south is very different, so we must adapt to local conditions and grasp the sowing time.

1. Spring celery

The sowing time of spring celery is January in the north. The seedling raising time is from January to March, and the transplanting time is from March to April. It can be harvested around June .

Generally, March of each year is the suitable sowing period. If sowing is too early, the low temperature weather will have a certain impact on celery. If there are too many days with low temperatures, the celery will differentiate prematurely and mature early, affecting yield and quality.

2. Summer celery

Summer celery is grown in the open field from April to May each year, transplanted in June and July, and can be harvested in late August .

Celery is generally planted in spring and autumn. If it is planted outdoors in summer, the celery will grow poorly and the yield will be low. On the contrary, if it encounters rainy and hot weather, the diseases and pests will be more serious and there will be more dead seedlings. Therefore, compared with spring and autumn, the planting area of ​​summer celery is not large.

3. Autumn Celery

Autumn celery is sown in June and July in the north, planted in August and September, and harvested in October and December . In the south, it can be delayed appropriately.

4. Winter Celery

Celery should be planted in places with higher temperatures in winter. It can be sown in the open air in the south of the basin, and in greenhouses in the north. In the south, open air planting is done from September to November and can be harvested in April of the following year .

Celery Planting Methods

1. Planting

The minimum temperature for celery seeds to germinate is 4°C , the optimal germination temperature is 15-20°C , and it is difficult to germinate above 30°C.

In hot seasons, the germination temperature needs to be lowered to germinate, usually after soaking for 48 hours. Then, place it above a deep well, in a sweet potato cellar, or in a cave for germination, and sow after the seeds turn white. In other seasons, soak and mix with sieved fine soil and sow directly.

2. Seedling cultivation

1 mu of seedling bed requires 2 kg of celery seeds , which can be transplanted to 4 mu of field. Choose a plot with loose soil for the nursery, apply enough well-rotted high-quality farmyard manure, and sow in rows or broadcast after fine land preparation.

After sowing, cover with 0.5 cm of soil and water thoroughly. Provide shade for seedlings in hot seasons, water once every evening, and water once in the morning and evening on sunny days to keep the soil moist.

After the seedlings are fully grown, apply diluted human manure every 5-7 days. The seedlings can be transplanted when they are 50-60 days old and 12-15 cm tall. Watering before transplanting helps reduce root damage. When there are insect pests, spray pesticides before transplanting.

3. Transplanting

Choose sandy loam with high organic matter content and good water and fertilizer retention to grow celery. Apply 150 kg of quicklime per mu when turning the soil. Apply 20-25 kg of urea, 40-50 kg of superphosphate, and 10-15 kg of potassium sulfate per mu when preparing the land. Transplant after leveling and fine soil.

Plant 4-5 plants per clump, keep the row spacing 15-25 cm, and the clump spacing about 1 cm . Water sufficiently during transplanting to prevent wilting. Keep the soil moist to increase the survival rate. Start topdressing after new leaves appear.

4. Pest and disease control

Prevent aphids in the seedling stage and celery leaf spot and other diseases in the growth stage. Take preventive measures in advance to ensure better growth in the later stage.