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Old December 12, 2016   #38
bower
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
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Lisa, the questions about celery quality are interesting. I got very different results with three different treatments./locations this year. I had some in the greenhouse which were sweet and juicy and crunchy perfect celery until I started to neglect watering them in the fall. After that the outer stems got hollow, they were ok for cooking not for eating fresh. A second batch were planted in a big container outdoors in full sun. I was disappointed with the quality late summer, they were tough. I think they were too densely planted and didn't get enough water for the full sun situation. Later cut them all in the fall and was surprised that the quality was improved. We had had a lot of rain and colder temps. Third batch went into a terrace bed which is quite sheltered and partial shade. These were tender and crisp all the while, I don't think they ever got dried out because wind is the big dryer here. Another difference with the greenhouse celery, it was paler green than the outdoors ones, which had the most intense color as well as flavor.

So far I am thinking that fresh eating quality is all about the water. If you plant them somewhere they won't dry out, it doesn't have to be full sun maybe better not. Size of stalks depends on how much/often you feed them.

Kudos to anyone who managed to grow only as much celery as they needed! Again I had gazoodles of seedlings and more than I could eat. Still harbouring eight plants in the greenhouse, the outer stalks got hollow from negelect but the inner are still good. Past experience says they may get heart rot in the cold though, before I ever eat so many.

It is a curious thing that the market for celery is not much indeed. I tried selling seedlings one year and got no interest at all. Yet you cannot go in a supermarket without seeing stacks of the stuff available, bland, watery, loaded with pesticides (they say)... someone must buy it.
I made some celery pickles this year, haven't tried them yet.
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