sepeters
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celeriac growers care to comment?

Good morning!
A recent conversation with another member made me realize I don't know much abut my celeriac. I have grown celery for several years and decided a while back to try celeriac.

The seeds I have are from seeds of change and are simply labeled "celeriac" with not a lot of specific information or variety listed.
I grow it pretty much the same way as celery. I soak the seeds overnight before germinating them about 2 months (yes, 2 months!) before I put them out at the end of February when temps are above 65F. Though celeriac likes cold weather, it is a biennial just like celery. If it experiences winter as a seedling it will likely prematurely bolt in it's first summer. When transplanting I try to disturb the roots as little as possible and don't break up the soil at all. I fertilize with fish emulsion as soon as I transplant, this guy can't get enough food!

It's growing conditions are about the same as celery, rich, damp, loamy soil in which it can produce large roots. It does not like to dry out and does not really like the heat much, either. Celeriac has an extremely long growing season, taking 120 days to mature. :shock: It also needs lots and lots of fertilizer and organic matter. I amend the soil with compost/worm poo once in the second month after transplanting, and again in the third to jump start growth and then every few months after that, as needed. Then I harvest the bulbs throughout the winter and late fall months, but don't let them go until spring, I like them small-ish.

The stalks and leaves are edible...but they are very...strongly flavored. :wink: I only use them for stocks, as they also become quite fibrous here, due to our summer.

And that's literally everything I know about celeriac! So...questions!

Am I doing anything wrong? Or is there something I could be doing more right? Are there lots of varieties and what are some of the differences?
All comments/questions welcome! :D

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Happy Days
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Thanks for starting this topic. I have been considering celeriac. I did finally find a list of cultivars although I know nothing about any of them. I hope someone else does.

Bergers White Ball
Diamant
Giant Prague
Goliath
Ibis
Kojak
Monarch
Prinz
Snow White

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digitS'
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I have grown celeriac for 6 or 7 years.

My experience with celery was about 30 years ago and it was such a disaster that I haven't been inclined to repeat it! I do now wonder that since I've had success with celeriac, if celery would do okay for me, also.

Of the varieties listed, I have only grown Diamant. I believe that was the only one until I grew Mars last year. Really, I don't see any real difference. About the only problem that I've had with the plants was growing them once in too shady of a location.

It may be that they don't want too much sun & heat - so afternoon shade might be fine for them here but I really put them where they could only get morning sun. They had very small roots. Every other season, they've been in pretty much full sun and have done just fine. Yes, they do seem to appreciate the fertilizer.

I really like celeriac. You know, I've heard that celery has so few calories that we actually burn up more calories chewing it than we gain from the vegetable! Celeriac doesn't have that "problem." It is very starchy and, since celery flavor goes well with potatoes -- you can put about one-quarter celery root in with the potatoes and enjoy the combination! They really add to the flavor of mashed potatoes, for example.

They have become an important part of my gardening and altho' celeriac takes the full season here, the plants are started in my greenhouse and go out into the garden very early. They have plenty of time to grow nice roots!

Steve

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Happy Days
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Good to know. I had been wondering if there was much difference in the varieties or if they are all about the same.

How well/long do the roots keep?

sepeters
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Thanks for finding those, Happy Days!
I'll look some things up about those varieties. We'll figure this out, yet! :) Do you have a greenhouse?

And thank you as well, Steve! Good to know I'm not the only person in existence who grows celeriac! :lol: I'd say if you can grow celeriac you could grow celery, blanching it can be a pain, but there are self blanching varieties. Personally, I don't bother (lazy). It does have more nutritional value when unblanched, but yeah, it's definitely not calorie dense. Ever tried celeriac gratin? Just mix it in with the potatoes when you make potatoes gratin. :drool:

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applestar
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Oh now, you've got me all curious :roll:
I've always *looked* at the celeriac seeds but passed them by....
Does anyone have some seeds you can spare? Is it too late to start them here? -- I'm starting peppers now and will start sowing peas outside in a month.

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Happy Days
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sepeters, I don't have a large greenhouse but I do have a small starterhouse/coldframe.

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digitS'
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I wish I had some seeds for you AppleStar but I got a large packet in 2012 and will just finish that old seed this year. If there's a large garden store close, they may well have it on their racks. (I'll be going thru those racks again soon, AS. Message me if you'd like me to look for a packet for you. Be happy to do so :) .) Celeriac seed will probably be in the packet with no picture on the front. I don't know how they can make that bulb visually attractive :roll: . It has to be the homeliest vegetable in the garden :wink: .

Au gratin? No, the celeriac just goes in with roasts and in stews and mashed potatoes. It is real good cut small and cooked in broth with finely cut leeks for soup :) . I've also never, uh, slivered it, umm, sliced it real thin . . . never put it raw in a salad. I'm not sure if I'd like it that way.

Keeping? I have stored it just like JAL does his root veggies in Utah. In a pit, in the garden but protected from freezing. That works real well for celeriac. When the warm weather arrives, whatever is left can be put in the fridge. It has such a hard root that you can keep it several more months. Honestly, I've kept it right thru May!

One tip, don't get too vigorous removing the tangled roots from the bulb. You don't want decay to get into the bulb and shorten storage. And yes, I know that it is difficult to get the soil off the bulb without peeling off all those roots :? .

I will start seed for it, in just a few days and this is where it won't go outdoors until April. No, I'm a believer in celeriac but it probably isn't something that you will see much about in the gardening magazines (see above about being the "homeliest veggie"). If you like the flavor of celery, it is just real good food.

Steve

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PunkRotten
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Hmmm the seed packet I have says to start it in Spring by direct sowing. It doesn't mention a 2 month germination either. I am confused now about when to start it.

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Happy Days
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Re: storage ... my grandparents had a root cellar and I wish I did. I am wondering if the crawl space under the house would be good storage for them and other root veggies? We sometimes drop into the teens during the winter but it seems our winters are going along with the global warming trend (this year, it has snowed once about a half inch and iced a few times). Would mice and so forth be tempted by them?

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applestar
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I wonder if you could store them in the crawl space in a well-insulated cooler filled with moist sand?

@digitS -- thanks all the same! :D It was a thought. I'm *trying* not to place another seed order because -- well, you know what happens. :roll: I'll have to see if I can find some on a local seed rack. :>

sepeters
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PunkRotten wrote:Hmmm the seed packet I have says to start it in Spring by direct sowing. It doesn't mention a 2 month germination either. I am confused now about when to start it.
I don't see how it could hurt to try starting it in the ground. :wink: Unless you are short on space/seeds. If it doesn't take, no biggie. I have not been able to grow celery/celeriac in the ground where I live, but obviously none of us is an expert on the subject. Give it a shot and we can increase our collective knowledge on the subject!

If you're anxious to get it started you can try to start it for the fall too. The celeriac should not struggle through your winter, however, it may not get large bulbs if the days are too cold. The skinny is, this plant is biennial, but if it experiences temperatures consistently at/below 45F for a week or longer in it's first/second season it will "think" it experienced summer during germination and will set it's clock ahead, so to speak, and will then bolt when it begins to warm for spring, thinking it's in second year. Or so the legend goes. I wish I could explain it better than that.

I did try to grow them in the fall last year but was lazy about bringing them in when it was cold, so they were tiny when it started going to seed.

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digitS'
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PunkRotten wrote:Hmmm the seed packet I have says to start it in Spring by direct sowing. It doesn't mention a 2 month germination either. I am confused now about when to start it.
PR, your season is so long it should be okay started as a direct-sown veggie. I can imagine that it is a little difficult to get started in a very dry climate, like in Tempe, Arizona. There is southern California and then southern California, however. If your spring climate is dry, you'd need to take extra precautions with your celeriac seedlings.

I realized that by saying that I put a quarter of celery root in with my potato recipes that it may have sounded like I was using 1/4th of a root at a time. No. I mean 1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato, 1 celery root . . Image . . For a food garden, I'm happy to have one celeriac bulb for every 3 potatoes that I grow!

Steve

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PunkRotten
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Hey AS, I think I have a bunch of the Celeriac seeds. More than I can use. I am not even sure I like the vegetable. But I figure I will. I plan to only grow like 5 or so of them. If you want some send me a PM. The variety is Giant Prague.

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Happy Days
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[quote="applestar"]I wonder if you could store them in the crawl space in a well-insulated cooler filled with moist sand?quote]

That is a very good idea. I may try that. :mrgreen:

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applestar
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My celeriac seedlings in recycled K-cups:
Image
Sowed seeds in 3/4" microblocks 3/5 (bottom shelf of Indoor Paradise approx 70's during the day, mid-60‘s at night), germinated 3/13, uppotted to K-cups 3/23 (Now going out to garage V8 Nursery during the day mid-50's up to 60°F). I was having trouble maintaining moisture for the microblocks. Hopefully, they'll grow now.

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Happy Days
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What variety is it?

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applestar
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Giant Prague.

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PunkRotten
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Thanks for sharing AS. I am gonna do another round of seeds this weekend and will sow more Celeriac. I think the ones I planted in the garden the bugs might have got them. I still have a celeriac root in my fridge that has been there almost 2 months and it feels and looks good still. I think this weekend I am going to eat it.

iseark
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I'm so jealous! I can't ever get it to even germinate :cry: , inside or out.

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applestar
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I surface sowed -- just a "salting" of sand and screened coir to keep them from floating away and help hold moisture -- then pushed them into the soil mix with my finger tip.

Then covered the surface with a loose sheet of Saran wrap, checking every morning and night, and spraying down with mist bottle when there were no condensation on the inside of the wrap. I could see the seeds when I misted them.

They were kept several inches from the lights not up close but still fairly bright.

OUTSIDE, I think you would treat them similar to carrots -- you would have to cover them with 1/8-1/4" of soil to protect from drying out and then keep them watered morning and night. The seedlings are so tiny (tinier than carrots) that they are prone to snail/slug/other pest damage and simply wash away in heavy downpour.... Imagine you need to seed pretty heavily to keep the survivors.

iseark
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Thanks. Maybe I'll try again. I've spent so much on my upcoming garden already that I may have to wait till next year though. I appreciate the tips.

sepeters
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Great to see so many growing celeriac now!
I never did get around to compiling the info on diff. varieties. Have been having problems with the seed order and never received my new celeriac seeds, so I sort of lost my motivation there. I planted the handful I had left from last year, and only one grew. I'm hoping it will bolt since it did experience some cold weather, and I can collect it's seeds.

I've used this company (whose name I will not mention) extensively and never had a problem. This year they shorted my order by several seed packets, and charged me anyway. When I called them they did send me some of the seeds they'd missed but told me they would no longer be carrying a few of the things I ordered (can't figure out why they were on this season's order form, if that's the case). They did offer to give me credit or send me different seeds, but refused to refund my money. :(

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digitS'
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Diamant and Mars celeriac seed went in containers this week.

I seem to wait each year until I can do this sowing in the greenhouse rather than in the house. I'm not sure why that is but, I guess I kind of treat it like parsley. That was also started this week.

We've had some sunshine this week and I turned on the greenhouse furnace for overnight warmth 2 nights ago. I don't think celeriac gets in much of a hurry to sprout but I also don't think it needs much warmth. So, 60°F overnight should be enough for it. I just have to see if that old seed has some viability to it. I think the Diamant seed was 2 years old and not just from last year.

Steve



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