<p>85-95 days. This heirloom variety brings back the real taste of celery. Very crisp and juicy, with moderately long 25-38cm (10-15 in.) stalks. Just a hint of red to accent your salad or relish tray.</p><p>CULTURE: THE TRANSPLANT METHOD: Start February through April, 12 weeks before the last frost. Keep temperatures between 15 deg. C (59 deg. F) and 29 deg. C (84 deg. F) - germination will take between 10-21 days. Sow the seed very shallowly or on the surface and keep moist. Set out when 10-12cm (4-5 in.) tall, in late May or June, 30cm (12 in.) apart in rows at least 45cm (18 in.) apart. Fertilize well, as celery is among the most heavily feeding plants grown in the garden. Keep well watered. Bolting is the result of young plants being exposed to temperatures below 10 deg. C (40 deg. F) for a week. <br>THE DIRECT-SEEDING METHOD: Sow from mid-April through May. Make a furrow 8-10cm (3-4 in.) deep with a hoe, sprinkle 1 cup complete organic fertilizer per 3m (10 ft.) of row in the bottom, then fill the furrow with a mixture of 2/3 fine garden soil and 1/3 compost or peat moss. This creates a small area of moist soil which remains light and uncompacted so the seedlings can root easily. Then sow the seeds 1cm (1/2 in.) deep, 8-12 seeds per inch and keep moist until they sprout 10-20 days later. Thin gradually to prevent overcrowding, and fertilize with liquid fertilizer such as fish emulsion every few weeks until the plants are 7-10cm (3-4 in.) tall; then they should be thinned to their final spacing of 30cm (12 in.). <br>DISEASE: Good preventative measures include crop rotation--the year after cole crops --adequate water supply and aphid control. <br>INSECTS: The larva of the carrot rust fly is an occasional celery pest. Maggots are straw-coloured and wiry, 1cm (1/2 in.) long. They burrow into the heart and stunt or kill the plant. Floating row cover over the bed can be effective. <br>HARVEST: If winter isn’t too cold, many varieties of celery will stand in the garden until spring, allowing light pickings for soups and salads, so chopping off the entire head is not advisable in the garden. Instead, pick individual stalks as needed. In spring, the unopened flowers and tender stalk below them are particularly good.</p><p>Raising celery is a long process, but the real treat is to be able go into the garden for much of the year to pick a few really flavourful stalks just when you need them.</p>
