Apply lime to the soil if the pH Ca drops below 4.8. The wild celery plant from which cultivated varieties have been bred grows on boggy riversides and marshy ground. Slightly acidic soil is optimum for celery (pH Ca range 5.0 to 6.0).

Soils must be well drained with high levels of organic matter, which may be supplied from the residues of past crops or compost. These crops will not be suitable for marketing unless harvested early at a smaller bunch size. Under cold conditions (4 to 13☌ for more than 10 days in the seedling stage), May to July plantings in the Perth area may bolt in spring. Under cultivation, celery is grown as an annual and is harvested before the plants ‘bolt’ into flowers and stalks become pithy and soft. They can provide advice on current varieties. September to January plantings give the best results in southern districts.Ĭelery is grown from transplants that are almost exclusively grown by specialist seedling nurseries. At this time incorporate lime if required as well as or any compost, manure. Six weeks before planting, plough and rip the area to be planted down to at least 500 mm.

It requires a slightly acid soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. However, most gardeners plant celery as an annual crop to harvest the crisp. They can be direct sown where conditions allow, and in undercover growing areas of with protection, but it is best to sow them indoors or under cover, in seed. Celery does best in well-drained, sandy loam soils with adequate organic material for moisture and nutrient retention. The following year, it flowers and produces seeds.

Whether you grow celery from scraps or seeds, the plant directs its energy toward the leaves, stems, and roots during the first year. Most comes from outer metropolitan locations on the Swan Coastal Plain as far south as Bunbury, with some from the lower South West and South Coast. Celery, or Apium graveolens, is a biennial plant. WA is practically self-sufficient in celery, with small quantities brought from interstate in summer. Celery (Apium graveolens) belongs to the Apiaceae family and is related to parsnips and carrots.

Planting celery seedlings