Comments on: Planting Celery and Artichokes

By: Alain C.

Alain C. — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:14:45 +0000

I have not tried celery yet, but have grown celeriac (the celery tasting root vegetable). For celery flavoring (in stocks for instance) we use lovage, a tough perennial herb. A little goes a long way as it has a very concentrated flavor.
I would love to try artichoke or cardoon – both are so attractive – but in a zone 5 garden, I expect it might be quite a challenge.

By: Diane C

Diane C — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:41:02 +0000

This is my first visit here and I'm glad I came. I never thought of growing celery or artichokes. Are the home grown artichokes more tender because they are smaller?

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:59:37 +0000

Thanks Alex! I try to use organic sources for most fertilizer, but we should remember that chemically, all fertilizers are chemicals – just the source of the chemical is different.Nitrogen is Nitrogen, at the molecular level, it's all the same. The difference is salts, and how fast a plant can access or process the nitrogen. Natural sources, such as ground seeds can take months or a year to convert available nitrogen, so bone mean, blood meal, and other organic sources are excellent for the garden, but they are often too slow acting to benefit short season crops. When we grow vegetables that need to be grown and harvested with a couple of months, be sure to add these sources a year in advance, or during the previous winter. We all should be more conscious about referring to fertilizer as organic or not, I would use terms like 'organic sources' rather than chemical. This may call for a more detailed post.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:48:41 +0000

Excellent piece of advice Matt, it is always better to consult experts, who always give you best solution depending upon the nature of your soil.

But my preference has always been for organic fertilizers,whenever I had my way. Chemical is a big no no.

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:25:16 +0000

Wow, lots of questions! First, I should have stated that home grown celery requires an expectation-shift. Yes, you will get mostly leaves and any crispy stems worthy of a salad I would consider a bonus. I often grow the cutting celery varieties, but still prefer traditional celery, as in some years, I can get decent stems. The key secret ( fact) to get maximum results ( i.e. supermarket quality stems) is fertilizer and water. Sunlight and soil condition must all be perfect. Search Google for directions from your local University Extension for regional hints. Fertilizer tips – you can go organic ( I, like most botanists, see no difference between "chemical" fertilizer and organic, these chemicals are all chemicals, just ask any chemist in your circle. But if you prefer fish emulsion, this is one time you can use it but note: professional growers use super-high nitrogen throughout the growing season ( 46-0-0) and fish emulsion analysis varies by brand, but averages at 5-1-1) You just may need to use more, resulting in a stinky field. I increase soil fertility at planting time with manure, and a more balanced granular feed of 10-10-10 and a liquid feed higher phosphorus and potash to increase root growth at planting time, as celery as a plant, has weak roots, so the goal is to stimulate root growth while young, to maximize the plants ability to uptake water and nutrients later. Hey, if you only want fresh celery flavor for soups and stock, lay back on the fert!

By: ValHalla

ValHalla — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:49:09 +0000

I've also seen a "cutting celery" (leafier) for sale at my farmers' market. I think that might be easier for those who are space challenged or otherwise resistant to growing celery. I'm trying artichoke for the first time this year. It's planted in a deep, compost filled bed.
Could you give me a brief rundown of your fertilizer of choice for artichoke, and your fertilizing schedule?

By: Alison

Alison — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:28:01 +0000

I'm curious exactly what fertilizer you give your celery? Do you use an organic one? Fish emulsion, kelp?

By: Susan ITPH

Susan ITPH — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:43:16 +0000

I grew celery for the 1st time last year and have grown artichokes before. The artichokes were totally worth it, but I was amazed at the number of earwigs that hid in its many crannies. Celery, I'm not so convinced about. I grew a row that was constantly fed a slow stream of water via soaker hose and fertilized the things every day. I even tried collaring a few of the plants, but discovered it just provided a hide for those earwigs to eat the stalks to pieces. The end result was a less fat and more green version of the grocery store variety. Given I have very limited garden space, I determined this crop wasn't worth the space for me to grow, but I'm glad I tried it.