Celery

[Galina]

Not usually thought of as a perennial crop, but following my experiments with growing celery from side-shoots that appeared at the base, especially on plants that had flowered (I cut the flower heads off) I would say that they a r e practically perennial.

I still take a couple of plants every autumn and plant in the greenhouse, just in case a bad frost finishes the outside plants off, but 'touch wood' for several years now this was just for insurance and the outdoor plants got through winter just fine.

And they regrow from little side-shoots very well and the side-shoots can also be used to start off a new clump.,

Now I don't know whether all celery is suitable for perennial treatment. Mine is Tehama Sunrise, a variety from the USA, which can be blanched like traditional celery, but is sort of a halfway house between celery and cutting celery. It would be interesting to see whether other celeries can be made to do the same. Winterhardiness was achieved simply by growing from my own seeds, then I noticed the sideshoots after flowering and the plants have become pretty perennial.

[Galina]

After a bit of a lull, they have resprouted massively and I really have the thin the plants for fat stems. Probably should have done earlier and given them a good feed. Hope they will get through winter. Have given MIL a couple of plants and they also have resprouted beautifully and we are both pulling individual sticks. The tops go well in soups and stews. Just for insurance, I will again stick a couple of plants in the greenhouse over winter. But fingers crossed, they will make it through the colder months like they have in the last few years.

[Jang]

Interesting. I have a clump (Golden Self-blanching) which has overwintered and, like you, I find it good for soups and stews.
For eating raw it has always been rather too stringy to be pleasant. Is that what you have found and what you mean when you say half way house between celery and cutting celery?

I hope your Tehama Sunrise is still soldiering on.

[Galina]

I do indeed have a small clump here that seems to have survived ok. Not yet producing juicy stems, but with a bit more spring weather they will. I harvested leaves and put them on a soup as garnish and they were lovely. But at the moment only very small portions.