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Cultivation (At the beginning of March sow)

At the beginning of March, sow a small quantity of seed for an early supply, and at the end of April, make the main sowings, placing the seed thinly in boxes of light soil. Water carefully, and place the boxes on a mild hotbed, or in a vinery or other warm glass house. The seeds take a rather long time to germinate. A little air must be admitted so soon as the seedlings are up, to keep them dwarf, and water must be carefully applied. So soon as the plants are large enough to handle, prick out, about 4in. apart, in other boxes, or into a frame where there is a little dung heat. Keep well watered, and gradually harden off before planting out. The early batch should be out by the end of May, and the main crop in June, planting all in properly prepared trenches, supposing this system is adopted.

There are various ways of growing Celery, some planting in trenches, in single or double lines, and others growing it in beds. The single line in trenches allows the plants plenty of light, and it is much easier and better to earth them up; consequently, this plan has much to recommend it. In the case of some of the small-growing varieties, or where space is limited, one of the other plans might be preferred; but care must be taken to keep the stems quite straight when earthing up. For single line, mark out trenches 4ft. to 5ft. from centre to centre, digging them about 15in. wide and from 9in. to 1ft. deep, and place the soil in the intervening spaces, which may be utilised for some other vegetable that does not require a long season of growth, such as lettuces, early cauliflowers, &c. The crop from these would be cleared off before the soil would be required for the Celery. In the bottom of the trenches, place a thick layer of rotten manure, and lightly dig it in Apply a heavy drenching of water, and a day or two afterwards put in the plants, about 1ft. asunder, along the centres of the trenches, again well watering in. Be careful that each plant has a good ball of earth adhering to the roots when taken up, and plant with a trowel.

The after cultivation consists primarily in supplying plenty of water in all but showery weather, and in keeping clear from weeds. When the plants are 1ft. high, fill in sufficient soil to cover any roots that may be on the surface, after which no more earthing will be needed till August or the beginning of September, excepting in the case of the earliest crops, which will have been more forward at all stages. Remove all lateral shoots from the base, and earth up when the foliage is dry, keeping the soil each time below the middle leaves or crown of the plant. The best plan is to have a boy holding the stems and leaves together, while someone with a spade places the soil around the plants, or a piece of matting may be tied round each plant and removed when the work is finished. Earthing should be completed in about three stages, proceeding by the same method each time. When frost sets in, cover the ridges with about 6in. of dry litter, or something of a similar description, and a good plan is to lay a couple of 9in. boards, nailed at right angles, over the litter, to keep out rain and snow water. Should Celery be taken up when frozen, a condition that should be avoided if possible, it must be submerged in very cold water, to that it; but the frozen parts will often be quite useless. Sorts. These are somewhat numerous, but many are coarse and deficient in flavour. Sandringham White is one of the best varieties for early work, but the red Celeries are generally considered superior, so soon as they can be obtained. Major Clarke's Solid Red and Williams' Matchless Red are two of the best for main crop, and to stand the winter. Other good varieties are Manchester Red, a strong growing and good variety to stand the winter; Sulham Prize Pink, and Leicester Red. The best white varieties, in addition to Sandringham, are Veitch's Solid White, Williams' Matchless White, and Grove White. For the Turnip-rooted Celery, see Celeriac.