Celery or parlsey

[Avonnow]

I tried to do some reading online and did not find a good answer. Is parsley a member of the celery family? The reason I ask was I pulled some flat leaf parsley out of the garden (it was huge) and I needed the space. Well when I dug it up it looked like a multiple of bunches of what a local garden nursery sold me last year as celery. I planted this myself as large leaf or flat leaf parsley, yet it appeared to have a bunch of celery type bunches at the bottom. So I guess my question is - can you treat these stalks as celery - I am almost embarrassed as before I did cut them up from the supposed "celery" the nursery sold me and used them as such.
They were smaller then celery - but so are alot of plants that I grow compared to what we buy. They tasted fine. I just want to hear from someone who can enlighten me. Thanks - will be close to 90 today in Florida. Last year this time we were colder then normal - this year it seems much warmer ! This changing climate is not good for planning a garden.

[lily51]

The only thing I can help you with is that they are in the same family Apiacea; also carrots, dill and others with the feathery leaves.
Have not grown celery, am growing flat leaf parsley for first time this year.
Please send Ohio some of your excess heat!

[csvd87]

Celery:
Family Apiaceae
Genus Apium
Species A. Graveolens

Parsley
Family Apiaceae
Genus Petroselinum
Species P. Crispum

That's the info I got from my internet sleuthing

[applestar]

I'm growing leaf celery. I grew some last year as well, and they lasted past the first of the fall frosts until hard freeze. The Black Swallowtails seem to think they are as good as parsley, carrots, and dill.

I started them again this year in a same seed flat as oregano and marjoram and all three are growing well though celery was slower to germinate. Once I separate them, the leaf celery will go in a semi-shady moist location, rather than the hot and dry for the oregano and marjoram.

[Bobberman]

I grew celery from seed last year and planted in the middle of the garden. I put a shad frame over it and it grew well! If you don't have a shaded area to grow some tender plants just use a few wood slats above the plants and it works great!

[Gnome]

I'm growing leaf celery. I grew some last year as well, and they lasted past the first of the fall frosts until hard freeze.

A.S.

I'm growing Celery for the first time this year. Are you saying that there are different varieties intended for obtaining stalks or leaves? Or is there a different technique involved?

I ask because my primary interest is in freezing leaves. I make my Grandmother's chicken soup and it calls for Celery leaves which are becoming increasingly hard to locate in the grocery. All the bunches are well trimmed these days.

If I harvest leaves now I assume it will slow the plants. On the other hand I wonder if the heat of late summer will cause the leaves to become bitter. Any insights?

Norm

[!potatoes!]

^ hope a.s. won't mind me answering for her:

there are different varieties of celery grown for leaf or stalks. the leaf varieties are frequently stuck in the 'herb' section of seed catalogs - I know I've seen it in a several...one would think that the leaf varieties wouldn't be quite the water-hogs that 'stalk' celery tends to be.

another idea - if you need quantities of celery-flavored leaves, consider growing lovage, a perennial herb (in the same family) that you could pretty easily harvest a year's worth of leaf from every spring from a couple plants (the flavor gets a little intense as the season goes along, so the best leaves are early early spring - a reason to suspect that perhaps regular celery leaves would get stronger later in the season, too.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I'll be doggoned! I love learning new things on this website--celery and parsley are related!

so is Hemlock, but you will only make that mistake one time.

Eric

[gardenvt]

Leaf celery (aka cutting celery) is immature celery. It is easy to grow and will get ribs like celery if you space it well. If you have a long enough season, you could have very nice stalks. If you want leaves, grow the plants closer together and they won't have much in the way of stalks.

Whatever you do, keep it well watered or it will get very bitter.

[Gnome]

Thanks for the information everyone.

there are different varieties of celery grown for leaf or stalks. the leaf varieties are frequently stuck in the 'herb' section of seed catalogs

I was not aware of that and simply purchased Celery starts from a local fruit market who sells vegetables in spring. I'll look into the Lovage, thanks for the lead.

Leaf celery (aka cutting celery) is immature celery. It is easy to grow and will get ribs like celery if you space it well. If you have a long enough season, you could have very nice stalks. If you want leaves, grow the plants closer together and they won't have much in the way of stalks.

I have no idea what I have, the tag simply says Celery, they are coming along nicely though. I have them near my bonsai and other potted plants so I do water them regularly.

Norm

[applestar]

Glad you got your answers, gnome. Better than I could have answered since I'm still kind of new with this variety. I knew someone who had lovage in her herb garden -- I think it was 2'H x 3' wide when I saw it. Maybe I'll give that a try next year too.