please advise on celery

[clod]

I grew trench celery for the first time this year, kept it watered and earthed it up - I wrapped it in newspaper , put a chimney pot over, and filled it with spent potting compost. They grew into fine strong healthy looking plants.

I've just tried the first one, and I've got a lot of smallish tough stems with plenty of pest damage and a bit of rot.
So much for my dreams of munching a huge stem with cheese!

I never mind a crop failing (all that much) if I know what to try differently next year, so I'd be very glad of any advice or tips.

[bramble]

Clod, I have never been very successful with celery so can't offer any help.
Might it be the variety you grew.?

[clod]

Cheers Bramble,
The variety was "Solid Pink", an old fashioned one, and a bit more research tells me I've picked it a bit too soon - I'll leave the others a while, and hope they're not too damaged
The only other ideas I have are to break off more side shoots at the earthing up stage, and maybe to work some gravel into the soil before planting - tho it's quite sandy anyway.

Thanks for the reply - it makes good soup anyway

[Scarlet]

Welcomed to the vine Clod. Love that name

I can't help much either I've only tried growing it once and that was several years ago. It was obviously a disaster as I've never tried again. I love it too, perhaps I should try again. There must be someone about that's had some success. fingers crossed they pop in.

[roitelet]

Tried trench celery one year and had problems with slugs and rot. Since then I have grown self blanching in the tunnel with great success. However I have still had a few problems with rot but I think that it was damage caused by slugs that started it. The only thing is giving it enough water to stop it going stringy.

[clod]

Many thanks for the welcome, Scarlett, I'm enjoying the vine a lot.

I'm reading that celery rot usually starts with slug nibbling, so lots of beer traps might help with all the damage. I also read that it's not easy, but the stubborn gardener in me thinks it can't be that hard - markets used to be full of it! I'll try it again next year anyway...

[Aberdeenplotter]

Heart rot in celery is caused by a calcium deficiency. Water in a tablespoonful of calcium nitrate(the only soluble form of calcium)per gallon of water trickling it in to the centre of the plant . Do this on a weekly basis and its best to do it on the same day every week so that you establish a routine which makes it easier not to forget. Remember also that celery is a bog plant. When you've watered it, water it some more. If you've added gritty material to your celery bed you will have made it more free draining which would be the wrong thing to do. The Nitrogen in the calcium nitrate will also encourage growth of foliage which should be tender instead of tough and stringy.

I dig barrow loads of cow dung into my celery bed and the plants seem to love it. The old time gardeners used to soak cow dung in a barrel of water and then water on the slurry in copious amounts.

[Aberdeenplotter]

meant to say. Slugs and snails love celery. To preserve my plants for exhibition, I apply slugit liquid but this then renders the celery inedible so for kitchen use this is a non starter. Beer traps, slug pellets and nematodes then if the celery is to be consumed.

Just to reinforce the situation re slugit liquid. It is not for human consumption. If you see celery being left after a show, don't ask for it and don't eat it. It will undoubtedly have been treated.

[Aberdeenplotter]

There must be someone about that's had some success. fingers crossed they pop in.

Well if I may modestly say (I know, I know I'm not modest at all) Jim McCall referred to my celery as champion .

[bramble]

My father used to grow celery years ago when me and my sister were kids. I remember we used to spend our summer evenings watering the plants.
This celery was grown for the market.
My father would tie up the celery with twine and then earth up the soil around the plants.
He also had a copper spray and sprayed all the plant with a mixture that was called "blue stone"
It was a long hard job that went on from the time he sovwed the seeds until he dug the crop to send to the market.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I wonder if the blue stone was copper sulphate. Copper sulfate is an inorganic compound that combines sulfur with copper. It can kill bacteria, algae, roots, plants, snails, and fungi. The toxicity of copper sulfate depends on the copper content.

Found that blurb here
Copper Sulfate General Fact Sheet.

When mixed with Calcium Hydroxide it is known as Bordeaux Mixture and when I did a quick gurgle here Bordeaux Fungicide Mixture - How to Make Your Own Supply I see indeed that copper sulphate is sometimes known as Bluestone. I'll go to bed happy now

[clod]

many thanks Aberdeenplotter and everyone, some good sounding advice to try next year

Onwards, upwards!

[Snadger]

I love eating celery but for the life of me, I can't grow it!

I've tried blanched celery,(slug city) self blanching celery (chewy and green)and celeriac (Tennis ball size). Celeriac performed best but still wasn't great.

This year I am growing Kin-Tsai (Chinese Celery) After a slow start it has finally produced a load of leaves ready for cutting. I intend to make an allotment broth this weekend with tatties,onions,leeks,swede,carrots and Kin-Tsai foliage.

I'm looking forward to that celery taste again!