Photo: Unsplash
When to plant
celery in the UK
Sow seeds on the surface — they need light to germinate. Start early in a propagator. Cutting celery is much easier than trench celery if you're new to it.
Work out your own dates
Starts from the recommended sow date for your area. Sowed on a different day, or planted out late? Adjust below and the harvest moves with it.
Using the UK-average last frost · 15 April · add your postcode to tune it
Growing journey
18 weeks from planting out to harvest · Start indoors 12 weeks before planting out
Get celery seeds
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What celery need
Sun or partial shade. Rich, moist soil. Thirsty plant — water and feed regularly.
Spacing
25cm between plants
Give each plant room to spread. Overcrowding reduces yield.
Varieties worth growing
Victoria
commonSelf-blanching, which means you don't need to earth it up in trenches like Victorian gardeners. Plant in a block, the outer plants shade the inner ones, and you get pale, tender stems with much less faff.
Waldorf salad
Slice crisp celery, toss with apple, walnuts, and a dressing of mayonnaise lightened with lemon juice and a touch of cream. The crunch of good celery makes this dish — without it, it's just a bowl of mayo.
Giant Red
uncommonRed-blushed stems with a more intense flavour than green celery. A heritage trench variety that rewards proper blanching with beautiful, rosy sticks. More work, but the flavour and colour are something else entirely.
Braised red celery
Halve the sticks, braise slowly in stock with butter and thyme until silky-soft and the pink deepens. Serve as a side to roast chicken. The transformation from raw crunch to braised silk is remarkable.
Golden Self-Blanching
uncommonPale golden stems that blanch themselves without earthing up. Milder and sweeter than green celery, with a delicate flavour that works beautifully raw. The elegant celery — less crunch, more finesse.
Celery, apple, and stilton salad
Slice the golden sticks thinly, toss with crisp apple, crumbled stilton, walnuts, and a light lemon dressing. The mild celery lets the cheese and apple shine. A Boxing Day lunch essential.
Celerydrink heavily through summer — a good soak at the roots beats a daily sprinkle. How I water, and the lance I use →
When to sow celery
Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.
Where to buy celery seeds
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Get your exact dates
Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for celery.