Boron deficiency or erratic watering. Keep moisture steady and amend with a balanced feed or a light boron source.

Pale, splayed, thin stalks

Too little fertility or light, or premature bolting. Feed richly, keep cool, and pick bolt-resistant varieties.

Pale winding trails inside leaves

Leaf miners tunneling the foliage. Remove mined leaves and cover plants with insect netting.

Gardening

The diva of the vegetable bed: long season, thirsty roots, and a need for steady cool. Get the moisture right and the stalks reward you.

The free tool tailors timing to your climate and lets you save this plant.

Sun

Part shade

Hardiness zones

Zones 2–10

Spacing

8–10 in apart, 18–24 in between rows. Plant close to help stalks blanch and stay upright.

Soil

Very rich, moisture-retentive soil heavy in organic matter; pH 6.0–7.0. Celery is a hungry, thirsty crop that hates drying out.

Watering

Constant moisture is non-negotiable: 1–2 in/week and never let it dry. Inconsistent water causes stringy, hollow, bitter stalks.

Plant / sow (typical)

Mar – Apr

Harvest (typical)

Aug – Oct

Starting

Start seed indoors 10–12 weeks before last frost; seed is slow and needs light to germinate. Harden off gently and transplant after frost.

Companions

Good with Onion, Leek, Bean, Cabbage, Tomato. Keep apart from Carrot, Parsnip, Corn.

Stringy, hollow, bitter stalks. Drought stress or heat during growth. Water deeply and constantly, mulch heavily, and grow through cool weather.
Cracked brown stalks. Boron deficiency or erratic watering. Keep moisture steady and amend with a balanced feed or a light boron source.
Pale, splayed, thin stalks. Too little fertility or light, or premature bolting. Feed richly, keep cool, and pick bolt-resistant varieties.
Pale winding trails inside leaves. Leaf miners tunneling the foliage. Remove mined leaves and cover plants with insect netting.