About
This cultivated variety of celery, known as celeriac, is valued for its rounded, swollen stem which is edible. Typically, the stem is pale white and can grow up to 12 cm across. Celeriac is a resilient crop that thrives during the winter months. Numerous cultivars exist, including those with a reduced tendency to bolt. Above the swollen stem, a rosette of green, fragrant leaves emerges. If allowed to flower, it produces clusters of small, pale white blooms on upright, ribbed stems.
About the genus
Apium includes herbaceous plants that can be classified as annual, biennial, or perennial. The foliage typically consists of leaves that are either divided into three leaflets or pinnately arranged. During the summer months, small white flowers appear, grouped in umbels.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, North-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Annual Biennial, Herbs - Culinary
- Habit
- Columnar upright
- Foliage
- Semi evergreen
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1-2 years
- Fragrance
- Foliage
- Toxicity
- Harmful to skin with sunlight. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in moist, rich soil in full sun. Will grow well in heavy and clay soils. Exposure to cold temperatures in spring may lead to premature flowering. For more advice see celeriac cultivation
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs and snails and and celery leaf miner
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to celery leaf spot