Content
Growing leaf celery from seeds is a challenge for novice gardeners. This green with a rich taste is included in many spicy mixtures, sauces, added to meat and fish dishes, pickles, marinades. Celery contains many minerals and vitamins, will help lower blood pressure and normalize metabolism, and there are much more essential oils in the leaves than in the stalks or roots.
What does leaf celery look like?
Fragrant or Fragrant Celery (Apium graveolens) is a species belonging to the genus Celery from the Umbrella family. The culture has three varieties - leaf, petiole and root.
The life cycle of leaf celery is 2 years. In the first, he yields a harvest of greenery, and in the second, he shoots a flower arrow up to a meter high and sets the seeds. At the same time, leaf celery, in contrast to root and petiole, does not need to be dug up for the winter - in cold regions it is enough to mulch the root so that it does not freeze out. In the spring, he will first grow tough greenery, then shoot an arrow with greenish-white flowers collected in a complex umbrella. By the end of summer, small seeds will ripen.
The root of the tapestry celery is covered with many sucking processes. Leaves are green, depending on the variety, dark or light shade. Cirro-dissected, with rhombic segments, they are located on a branched, grooved stem.
The culture forms a large rosette, consisting in different varieties of 40-150 thin petioles topped with openwork leaves. Their length ranges from 12 to 25 cm, and usually (but not always) the more stems a plant has, the shorter they are.
Features of leaf celery
Celery is considered a vegetable plant, although its leaves would be correctly attributed to spicy herbs. The flavor of greens is so intense due to the high content of essential oils that most people can only eat them as part of a main dish, sauce or as a condiment. But, finely chopped, the leaves can replace salt. It is the greens that contain the most useful substances.
Unlike petiole and root varieties, leafy ones are easier to grow by sowing seeds in the ground, although no one interferes with getting an earlier harvest through seedlings. Celery, which is planted for greens, has the shortest growing season and will yield two or more crops even in the Northwest. In the southern regions, leafy varieties can be sown in the ground before winter.
The culture is cold-resistant, even the seedlings can easily withstand a short drop in temperature to -5 ° C.
Popular varieties
There are a variety of leafy varieties to choose from for high yields or delicate greens. In any case, they all have a rich spicy taste, contain a lot of nutrients and few calories.
Leaf celery Delicate
In 1999, the State Register adopted the Gentle variety, the author of which is the breeder Aleksashova M.V.It is recommended for cultivation throughout Russia and can be grown both in personal plots and in small farms.
This is a mid-season variety, in which 100-105 days pass from the moment of germination to the first collection of leaves. Forms a medium spreading rosette with numerous shoots. The leaves are dark green, medium in size, with a strong aroma. The variety gives a high yield, from 320 to 350 centners of greens are harvested per hectare per season.
The leaves are used for fresh consumption, drying, preparation of various dishes and homemade preparations.
Celery Leaf Vigor
A leafy variety adopted by the State Register in 2006 and recommended for cultivation in subsidiary farms in all regions. The originator was Agrofirma Poisk LLC.
This is a medium-ripening variety, from which the first harvest of greens is removed 100-110 days after germination. Differs in large green leaves and long petioles. The height of the upright rosette reaches 60-70 cm.
The output of greenery from one plant is 220-270 g. The variety is from 1 sq. M. m per season gives a crop of 2.2-3.5 kg. The aroma is good. Used for fresh consumption, drying, cooking and canning.
Cartouli
A popular Georgian leafy variety, bred at the Tskhaltubsk Experimental Station of Vegetable Growing. It grows better in the southern regions, but can be successfully cultivated in the Middle Belt and in the North-West.
From the emergence of shoots to the first cutting of leaves, 65-70 days pass. Forms an erect rosette with dark green leaves and petioles. It has a strong aroma and high resistance to cold and drought. Greens for universal use.
Zakhar
The variety, entered in the State Register in 2000, is recommended for cultivation throughout the territory of the Russian Federation. Originator of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Federal Scientific Center of Vegetable Growing", author - Khomyakova E.M.
Green leaves are collected in a semi-raised rosette of 80-150 pieces, petioles are 10-12 cm long. From the moment of emergence to the first harvest, 150-160 days pass.
Zakhar is a versatile leafy variety with a strong aroma, good taste and high yield. Average yield of greenery from 1 sq. m - 2.4 kg per season.
Planting leaf celery
Leafy celery can be sown directly into the soil. But for early greens, especially in cold regions, it is grown through seedlings.
Planting seedlings
Seedlings are sown at the end of March. Small seeds do not germinate well, as they contain essential oils. Without preliminary preparation, they will rise no earlier than 20 days later, and unevenly and not simultaneously. Various methods are used to accelerate seed germination:
- Soak for 30 minutes in 60 ° C water.
- Application of special preparations for seed germination.
- Prolonged (for several days) soaking in warm water. They change it every few hours.
Then the seeds of leaf celery are sown in boxes in rows spaced 5-8 cm apart. As a substrate, take ordinary purchased soil for seedlings. You can use special cassettes or separate plastic cups with a drainage hole. 2-3 seeds are sown in them, and then the strongest sprout is left - the rest are cut at the root with nail scissors.
The containers are carefully watered using a household spray bottle, covered with glass and placed in a warm, bright place. As soon as the seedlings hatch, the celery is taken out into a cool room with good lighting and a temperature of 10-12 ° C. This will prevent the seedlings from pulling out.
The leaf celery is then returned to the heat. The ideal temperature for seedlings of this culture is from 16 to 20 ° C. If the thermometer drops to 5 ° C, development will stop and the sprouts may die or get sick with a black leg.
When the seedlings start up 2-3 true leaves, they dive. To do this, use individual cups and cassettes, or the same boxes, only each plant is placed at a distance of 5 cm from the neighboring one.Roots longer than 6 cm are pinched by 1/3.
For seedlings of leafy celery, it is of great importance to observe the temperature regime, keep in a well-lit place, ventilate the air, and regular watering. The soil should be moist, but not wet, and water stagnation is not allowed at all.
During the cultivation of seedlings, leaf celery is fed twice with a weak solution of complex fertilizers. The first time is after the pick, when the sprouts will take root and resume growth. The second - 2 weeks before disembarkation in open ground.
Approximately 7 days after the second feeding, the seedlings begin to harden. First, it is taken out into the fresh air for several hours, then left outside for the whole daylight hours. Two days before transplanting into the ground, seedlings are not brought into the room at night.
By this time, cabbage should already be planted in the garden, and celery should have 4-5 true leaves.
The bed must be dug up in advance and placed in a well-lit place. The soil for planting celery should be loose, well-permeable to water and air, filled with a large amount of organic matter - compost or humus.
Leafy varieties are planted 25 cm apart from each other in rows. About 20 cm is left between the bushes. Even if the leaf celery forms a large rosette, it does not particularly suffer from thickening. In addition, bushes that interfere with each other can be thinned out by using the "extra" plants for food.
Seedlings are planted in the ground so as to leave on the surface and not sprinkle the growth point with earth, and watered abundantly.
Planting sheet celery in open ground
In the south, leafy celery can be sown in the ground in late autumn. It takes a long time to germinate, there is no danger that the seeds will hatch during the thaw. During the winter, they will undergo natural stratification, so that in the spring they will give amicable shoots.
You can sow a crop in early spring if you prepare a garden bed in the fall. It is better not to soak the seeds before planting directly in the ground - they themselves will hatch in due time.
On a plot dug up and filled with organic matter in the fall (a bucket of humus per 1 sq. M), shallow loosening is carried out, furrows are drawn at a distance of 25 cm from each other and spilled with water. Seeds of leaf celery mixed with sand are sown on top and sprinkled with dry soil. So there is no danger that small grains, of which there are about 800 pieces in 1 g, will fall into the soil or be washed out with a stream of water.
When the leafy celery hatches and gives 2-3 true leaves, they begin to thin it out. Gradually removing the seedlings, the planting is made free enough so that neighboring plants can develop normally. Torn celery is eaten or planted on a new bed.
Celery care
Leaf celery is not harmed by a drop in temperature - if it drops to 5 ° C, the culture simply stops developing and waits for warming.
Watering and feeding
Leaf celery is a moisture-loving culture. It needs to be watered regularly, in large quantities, but so that there is no stagnation of water in the root area.
You cannot do without dressing - celery leaves will be small, it will grow poorly. The main crop needs nitrogen. The first time, in the phase of 2-3 true leaves when sown in the ground, or a week after transplanting the seedlings, the plant is given a full mineral complex. In the future, every week celery is fertilized with infusion weeds.
Weeding and mulching
It makes no sense to mulch plantings of leaf celery - the soil needs to be loosened often. This procedure is of immense importance. Simultaneously with loosening, weed shoots and pests hiding in the soil or on its surface are destroyed, aeration is improved.Celery not only grows well, but also absorbs nutrients and water.
Diseases and pests
Celery leaves contain a lot of bitterness and essential oils, which is why the culture rarely gets sick and is little damaged by pests. Most of the trouble with the plant is due to improper care, especially over-watering without loosening the soil or on dense soils. The growing point is especially sensitive to rot in celery.
Among the diseases of seedlings, a black leg should be distinguished. An adult plant suffers:
- from bacterial leaf spot;
- viral mosaic.
Leaf celery pests:
- carrot flies;
- scoops;
- snails;
- slugs.
Why celery leaves turn yellow
Celery leaves can turn yellow due to waterlogging, especially on dense soils that rarely loosen. The color of the greens will also change with a lack of nitrogen.
Separately, it should be noted another reason for the yellowing of celery leaves - the defeat of a spider mite. It appears on crops in hot weather with excessive dry air. If you water celery as required by the rules of agricultural technology, the pest will bypass it.
When to clean and how to store leaf celery
For daily consumption, you can pick the celery leaves as soon as they grow a little. Commercial harvest is done when the crop reaches technical ripeness. Overgrown greens become too tough. You can find out about the ripening and harvesting times of leaf celery in the description of the variety, they are also indicated on the packages with seeds.
It is impossible to keep greens fresh for a long time. It is dried, prepared with leafy celery salads, added to marinades when canning. If the greens are washed, dried, laid out in plastic bags or vessels and frozen, after thawing, they will be suitable only for cooking hot dishes and have an unsightly appearance.
It is much better to grind the leafy celery with a blender, add a little water and freeze in ice trays. Then you can immediately take the necessary portion of greens.
Conclusion
Growing leaf celery from seed by sowing directly into the ground is a challenge for beginners. Breeding a crop through seedlings is a little more difficult, but this way fresh greens can be obtained much earlier. In any case, it is worth planting celery on every site - it is easy to care for it, and it provides more vitamins than other spicy crops.
