When you want to make a tasty and healthy salad, many use sprigs celery It is not necessary to buy this product every time, because it can be grown on a private plot. Therefore, today we will talk about how to grow celery in the garden.
Features celery leaf
You may already know that besides the celery leaf, there is also stalked and root. Therefore it is necessary to distinguish very similar plants. Let's talk about the features of celery leaf. The leaves of this plant are used as decoration for salads. Juicy and fragrant twigs not only complement the dish, but also benefit. In addition to salads, celery is added to soups, broths and pickles. This is a versatile seasoning that is suitable for both frying and roasting. Often, celery leaves are added to various marinades, and you can always find dry crushed leaves in complex seasonings.
Important! Leaf celery is also called "chick celery". Therefore, when buying seeds you should not be afraid of the alternative name.
Where is the best place to put leaf celery
Start growing plants need to choose a place for planting. On this depends not only the usefulness of the finished product, but also its quantity.
Air humidity, lighting and temperature for celery
When planting celery, you need to consider some factors that directly affect the growth rate and taste of the leaves.. Let's start with the temperature. Celery needs warm weather (between 18 ° C and 20 ° C) for rapid growth. At a lower temperature, growth is slowed down, and the plant does not have time to increase the amount of green mass.
Important! Celery leaf resistant to frost.
The leaves of the plant are eaten, which means that the quality of products directly depends on the amount of sunlight and heat. Therefore, to plant celery in the shade or partial shade is impossible. Also, the plant likes high humidity. Therefore, if in the spring or summer time the air is very dry, you need to additionally irrigate the landing with a spray gun. Do not forget that windy places are unsuitable for planting celery. Besides the fact that the wind blows moisture out of the ground and cools the roots, it can break a fragile plant, after which the celery dries.
Did you know? On the basis of celery in ancient Greece they prepared a drink of love for men and women (it used plant sap). Then celery was called "moon plant".
What soil likes leaf celery
Now let's talk about what kind of soil like celery leaf. Many gardeners know that the yield of products may directly depend on their predecessors. In the case of celery, any vegetable crops can be precursors. At the same time, the plant loves a crumbly soil rich in humus. The soil should be sandy with a neutral reaction and the presence of peat. In order to achieve the required soil fertility, it is necessary to embed humus in the soil in autumn, which will help the plant to accumulate green mass.
Features planting leaf celery
Celery can be grown from seed to seedlings and planted purchased young plants. If you could find planting material only in the form of seeds, then do not despair, as we consider two types of planting: seeds and seedlings.
Important! In order for the plant to have frost resistance, it is necessary to stratify celery seeds (placed in a refrigerator).
How to choose and prepare planting material
Let's start with the selection of seeds for planting in the country. There are many varieties of leaf celery, but the most popular are the following: "Kartuli", "Cheerfulness", "Gentle" and "Zakhar". After you have purchased the seeds, they need to be prepared. To begin, process the seed with potassium permanganate and put it in wet gauze for several days. Ready for planting seeds should germinate. Up to this point, landing is impossible.
Preparing the soil for planting
Preparation of the site for planting celery begins with autumn digging. This is done in order to destroy weeds and overwhelming pests.
Important! If you have loamy heavy soils on the site, then instead of autumn digging, spring loosening is carried out.
In the spring on light soils they loosen the soil by hand or with the help of technology. In addition to pretreatment of the soil, it is important to saturate the soil with nutrients. To this end, phosphorus-potassium and nitrogen fertilizers are introduced in the fall. However, it is worth remembering that if the plot is submerged in the spring, then fertilization will be reduced to no in autumn. In addition to the autumn feeding, fertilizers are also ground in the spring. Up to 5 kg of humus or compost is applied to each square meter. If in the fall mineral fertilizers have been applied, then in the spring their amount decreases to 10–15 g of phosphate and 5–10 g of nitrogen and potash fertilizers (in the autumn it is introduced twice as much as in spring). When using complex mineral fertilizers, their dosage is 40 g per 1 sq. Km. m
When and how to plant leaf celery
If you are determined to plant celery leaf in your garden, but do not know how and how to plant the plant (seeds for seedlings or buy ready-made seedlings), then pay attention to the pros and cons of each method. When planting celery seeds for seedlings, you save money, as ready-made seedlings are more expensive. At the same time you will surely be confident in the quality of young plants. However, sowing seeds and caring for them takes a sufficient amount of time, in addition, there is always a chance that the seeds will not sprout and time will be wasted.
Did you know? In ancient Greece, tombs decorated the plant and made wreaths for the winners of the Isthmian and Nemean games.
If you decide to plant leaf celery from seeds, then after preliminary preparation, you need to mix planting material with sand (it is easier to orient when sowing, since the seeds themselves are very small and merge with the soil color). Seeds are sown in a special mixture, which includes leaf soil, sand, peat and humus in equal proportions. This mix should be laid in boxes in which celery will be grown for the first time.
Sowing seeds in March. In the prepared boxes with soil they make several rows, the distance between them should be at least 6-7 cm. The seed does not need to be deeply buried so that young plants have enough strength to break through. After sowing, peat or humus in crushed form is poured into the furrows over the seeds and filled with soil. If you did everything correctly, then the first shoots can be expected in 8-12 days. During this time it is necessary to maintain the temperature at 18-20 ˚С.
Important! Shoots can slow down and occur only for 3 weeks. For celery seeds it is quite normal, so do not sin on their quality.
After the seeds have risen, the temperature in the room is reduced to 14-15 ˚C. Also, do not forget that young plants need sunlight, and not artificial. In addition, celery needs to be watered on time (using a spray bottle or a sieve). When 2-3 true (and not cotyledon) leaves appear on the seedlings, the plants are transferred to individual pots or boxes. It is necessary to slightly trim the root to get a strong, branched root system. 
Many are interested in planting leafy celery seedlings in the ground. In the open soil plants can be planted in early May. During the landing, stick to the scheme 25 x 25, so that the celery is not crowded and the bushes do not overwhelm each other. If you have already purchased seedlings, then make sure that there are no parasites (or apply light fungicides) and plant them immediately in open ground in accordance with the planting pattern.
Important! Celery is transplanted so that the growth point is above the ground.
How to care for celery in the country
After you transplant the seedlings into the open ground, it needs proper care. Even if at the initial stage the seedlings were very strong, then due to the lack of watering or top dressing at the harvest stage you can get sluggish bleached leaves that will taste like grass.
Watering celery
Celery is demanding of soil moisture and does not tolerate drought. Since the roots of the plant are not very long, they collect only the moisture that is located near the surface of the soil. When watering, you need to moisten the soil so that no puddles form on its surface. First, they block the access of oxygen to the roots, secondly, they wash out the soil, exposing the root system, and thirdly, they can lead to decay. It is necessary to water celery only in calm weather in the morning or in the evening. Watering at noon or in strong sunshine is strictly prohibited. For irrigation it is best to use a spray, drip irrigation or special sprinklers. Standard watering a hose at the root is not suitable.
The nuances of feeding celery leaf
Now turn to what you can feed the celery seedlings in the process of its growth. Before planting seedlings in the ground, it should be fed. Therefore, two weeks before diving into the open ground, each plant is watered with a solution with mineral fertilizers (10-15 g of ammonium nitrate and 5-10 g of superphosphate are taken for 5 l of water). When watering this solution, make sure that the liquid does not fall on the leaves, otherwise there will be a burn. After transferring the seedlings to open ground, it is worthwhile to wait 15 days and make complex fertilizers, which include sodium, phosphorus and potassium. Thus, the plant will always receive the full range of essential mineral components for growth and development.
Weeding and soil care
Weeding between rows must be carried out for two reasons: to get rid of weeds and open access of oxygen to the roots of the plant. It should be understood that celery is quite fragile and does not have a large and strong root system to compete with weeds. Therefore, if you do not remove weeds from the plot, they will quickly drown the culture and it will wither. Many gardeners use mulch to control weeds. In the case of celery, this system also works. Zamulchirovav soil sawdust, leaves or agrofibre, you get rid of weeds and reduce the amount of watering. Also take care that the area does not rot the remnants of vegetation and there is no stagnation of water.
Did you know? The plant was considered to bring happiness, and it was often hung in rooms with onions and garlic.
Leaf celery: harvesting and storage
Now let's talk about how and when to remove the leaf celery. Leaf celery is harvested in several steps. The first stage begins 2 months after picking up seedlings in open ground. Cut the leaves that have reached a length of 30-40 cm. Between cuts, you need to take a break of 2-3 days. This method allows you to save the maximum amount of nutrients in the leaves. At the same time cutting height directly affects the quality of products in the future. Therefore, the leaves are cut at a height of 5-7 cm from the ground. This height does not damage the central underdeveloped leaves and makes the plant more resistant to rot in the winter.
After cutting, there are several ways to store celery:
- in the refrigerator (without freezing);
- drying;
- freezing;
- salting
Each method is suitable for different uses. If you know that some of the greenery you need in the next 10 days, then you can put it in the fridge, wrapped in aluminum foil. If celery is wrapped in food film, it will begin to deteriorate on the fourth day. Drying celery makes it possible to reduce the volume of the plant and keep it outside the refrigerator. To dry the leaves, you need after the collection to lay them under a canopy so that they are blown, but not exposed to direct sunlight.
Laying celery need only one layer and from time to time turn the leaves on the other side. Product readiness is determined by crumbling leaves and changing their color. If the product is not very much, then it can be dried at home. For this paper is spread, celery is laid out on it and another layer of paper sheets is placed on top. Drying indoors takes about a month. 
If celery will be used to decorate the table, it can be frozen. It is important to understand that after freezing the plant will lose some vitamins and minerals. For freezing choose not yellowed twigs. Crushed to the desired size, pour water and freeze. An interesting way to store celery is salting. To do this, 500 g of leaves take 100 g of salt and salted in jars. After this salting should be given to brew for two weeks and can be eaten. Containers can not be placed in the refrigerator, as the salt will not allow the leaves to rot or mold.
In your garden you can grow a lot of tasty and healthy vegetables, fruits and seasonings. Now you can add celery to this list. This greens will not only help decorate the table or cook a delicious borscht, but will also be useful when marinating meat or fish, canning products.
