Meadowlark
Member
- Location
- East Texas
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
Celery has long eluded me as a successful garden veggie here in East Texas. It is very unforgiving on the temperatures it demands 50 deg F to 75 deg F, requires a long growing season up to about 150 days in the preferred temp range, and just in general a very environmentally sensitive plant.
Here in Texas, growing temps shoot above 75 deg F in early March sometimes late February and continue through October. It is very difficult/next to impossible to find a 150-day window that meets the criteria here.
After several failures, I finally came up with what looks like a solution to the stringent requirements of celery....Hügelkultur (HK) containers.
I started plants from seed last year mid-Sept indoors in AC..still many days above 75 deg F.
Transplanted the strongest seedlings into HK containers outside about mid- Oct. Still some days above 75 deg F but not as many. By mid-Nov. the seedlings were thriving in the HK containers.
Now the game became one of protecting against low temps, instead of temps > 75 deg. F. Most nights that temps fell near or below 32 deg. F, I covered the celery plants with N-sulate...however, when the polar vortex hit and sent temps into the teens, N-sulate alone was not good enough.
Here is where the real utility of the HK containers comes into play. They are portable.
I moved them into an adjoining shed and provided heat lamp(s) for protection.
They survived and now are thriving again with stalks going 8-10 inches. These would be harvestable, but I'm going to let them grow more before cutting.
Barring another polar vortex event, they should thrive now until about March 1 when temps will climb above the 75 deg F threshold. However, they will be members of a prime salad before that happens...and that is going to be one enjoyable salad.
Here in Texas, growing temps shoot above 75 deg F in early March sometimes late February and continue through October. It is very difficult/next to impossible to find a 150-day window that meets the criteria here.
After several failures, I finally came up with what looks like a solution to the stringent requirements of celery....Hügelkultur (HK) containers.
I started plants from seed last year mid-Sept indoors in AC..still many days above 75 deg F.
Transplanted the strongest seedlings into HK containers outside about mid- Oct. Still some days above 75 deg F but not as many. By mid-Nov. the seedlings were thriving in the HK containers.
Now the game became one of protecting against low temps, instead of temps > 75 deg. F. Most nights that temps fell near or below 32 deg. F, I covered the celery plants with N-sulate...however, when the polar vortex hit and sent temps into the teens, N-sulate alone was not good enough.
Here is where the real utility of the HK containers comes into play. They are portable.
I moved them into an adjoining shed and provided heat lamp(s) for protection.
They survived and now are thriving again with stalks going 8-10 inches. These would be harvestable, but I'm going to let them grow more before cutting.
Barring another polar vortex event, they should thrive now until about March 1 when temps will climb above the 75 deg F threshold. However, they will be members of a prime salad before that happens...and that is going to be one enjoyable salad.