Celery

[Equilibrium]

That 'Tall Utah' grew right through the summer heat in a raised bed. What variety are you "supposedly" restricted to down south?

[biigblueyes]

There's only one choice if you're buying it bulk - "Celery" and none in the seed displays. The LSU Ag Center lists recommended varieties of most veggies, but as for celery, they only recommend you plant it as a winter crop, with a warning that even then it's difficult. No variety recommendation.

[Equilibrium]

Since I've grown a lot of celery and had quite a few flops.... I'm thinking it's not so much where we're growing celery but more the fussing we have to do over some of the varieties that require mounding or bagging. I'm guessing.... the bulk variety you got your hands on requires blanching and that's why it's been labeled difficult. You probably can't start celery at the same time of year I do but.... I'm thinking you should still be able to grow the non-blanching celeries I grew just by starting out a little later in the season. I'm done experimenting with celery.... I'm just gonna run with 'Tall Utah' and 'Tendercrisp' again next year. I'll be ordering more seed soon so remind me this spring after my orders come in and I'll send you some to play with. Same thing goes for Dappy.... I can send some of the non-blanching celery seed I order out your way too. I only need a row of each for myself and that'll leave plenty of seed.

[biigblueyes]

If you have some spare seeds, I'd love to have a "pinch" of them to try.

This is from the LSU Ag center:

Q. Can celery be grown successfully in Louisiana gardens?
A. Yes, if given the proper growing conditions – but it’s not easy! Celery does best in cool weather and especially well when nighttime temperatures are around 50°F and average daytime temperatures stay between 60‐70°F. Since celery requires these conditions for as long as 5 to 6 months duration, most optimum planting time occurs in mid to late summer with harvesting occurring in early winter. Prolonged periods of cold temperatures during early growth or excessively high temperatures near maturity will start the formation of a seed stalk. In the northern parts of Louisiana celery transplants must be hardened and set out early to avoid damage which can occur from low temperatures. In the southern regions of Louisiana, seeding or transplant can occur in late fall for harvest during late‐winter. This crop is thought to be a real challenge for our ardeners.

Q. Will freezing weather kill or damage celery?
A. Yes. Young celery plants can be damaged by near freezing temperatures. At or near maturity celery plants can withstand frost or freezing weather although temperatures much below 30°F can kill or damage celery.

Q. What causes the stout and often bitter flavor?
A. Improper environmental conditions, primarily high temperatures at maturity along with stress conditions such as drought or low fertility can cause celery to become offflavored. For maximum quality celery must be grown full speed under suitable environmental conditions and a constant level of available moisture.

The main problem seems to be that we don't have 5 - 6 months of mild weather.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

I'm done experimenting with celery.... I'm just gonna run with 'Tall Utah' and 'Tendercrisp' again next year. I'll be ordering more seed soon so remind me this spring after my orders come in and I'll send you some to play with. Same thing goes for Dappy.... I can send some of the non-blanching celery seed I order out your way too. I only need a row of each for myself and that'll leave plenty of seed.

~smile~
Thanks for your generous offer, Lib. I think I'd like to try it. I doubt I'll grow more than a few plants, not nearly two rows of it. Then again, if I have success, I can always increase my plantings in the future.

Originally Posted by biigblueyes

The main problem seems to be that we don't have 5 - 6 months of mild weather.

I have to wonder how long we even have with temps in the 50s overnight and 70s during the day...but things don't always have optimal conditions and still grow.

[Equilibrium]

Ok…. Dappy…. I got your mailing address and I’ve got your celery seed ready to go and a few different varieties of broccoli for ya…. can you tell me what else might tickle your tastebuds so I can be on the look out for it when I’m going through seed the next few weeks. I don’t ever grow all of any seed in a pack except carrots and onion and onion seed from a pack can’t be saved and passed on anyway… it doesn’t last much longer than a year even when it’s stored in a freezer so count those 2 out. Come to think of it….. parsley and parsnips are the other 2 that don’t save well so knock those out too.
--
Biig…. don’t whoop me but…. you gotta send me your mailing address again. hava’s the pack rat when it comes to private messages…. me…. I’m the deleter so what can I say…. your address got deleted. I’ve got your celery seed ready too. I had some problems growing some of the herb seeds I bought last year….. they grew well enough…. too well. They were a little too weedy for me and ended up being a headache. I really don’t have the time to mess with them. My favorite neighbor sold her house…. packed up the kitten from your mom….. then moved to her winter home permanently so there’s nobody here that could deadhead when I’m gone and some of the herbs set seed that germinated in my lawn…. eeesh…. I’ve got enough problems with weeds around here that I inherited without adding more to my misery. Soooo…. I’ve set some herb seeds aside for you to play with on your new adventure. Nothing fancy…. mostly common herbs but I won’t be growing anything except basil and maybe a few others in containers for butterflies until I can figure out how to contain them. Here’s hoping I don’t have chamomile popping up forever from last year.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

Ok…. Dappy…. I got your mailing address and I’ve got your celery seed ready to go and a few different varieties of broccoli for ya…. can you tell me what else might tickle your tastebuds so I can be on the look out for it when I’m going through seed the next few weeks. I don’t ever grow all of any seed in a pack except carrots and onion and onion seed from a pack can’t be saved and passed on anyway… it doesn’t last much longer than a year even when it’s stored in a freezer so count those 2 out. Come to think of it….. parsley and parsnips are the other 2 that don’t save well so knock those out too.

Thanks, Equil.

Hmm...I may want to try parsnips, but I'll just buy a seed pack and see what grows, then figure out what to do with them.

So, right off the top of my head, I plan to plant Brussels sprouts, maybe cauliflower, sweet potatoes (I'll have to get those on my own), peas (I still have some from last year and plan to buy more), romaine lettuce (but I can't find one with the flavor we are used to), cabbage, corn (I have one that is red and one that looks like Indian corn but is sweet corn), radishes, and maybe tomatoes for sauce. There might be more, but I can't think of anything right now. I will plant onions and carrots, but I'll get those myself--I'll get any seeds I want by myself, unless you beat me to it.

If you do have herb seeds, I'd probably like some of the common ones, but I am concerned about escapees too. I'd like to keep them in pots on the deck or something. Maybe a window box or in the greenhouse would work--well, if I can figure out how to create windows in the roof that open for the summer. I figure if I can do that, things wouldn't get too hot and rain could come in. Not sure if I thought it through or not, but I'd love to get year round use out of that space.

[biigblueyes]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

Biig…. I’ve set some herb seeds aside for you to play with on your new adventure.

Oh boyohboyohboy! I'll take your babies, gladly! Thank you!

[Equilibrium]

I've got celery seed for both of ya but.... it was collected last year even though I bought it for this season. What I don't have is the Packman Broccoli I wanted to send to Dappy and the carraway and black peppercorn seed for biig. Do you guys care if I send out what I've got without screwing around waiting for an order I'm thinking isn't coming>>>? I wasn't ever charged for any of the order that had my 'Cheddar' cauliflower on it. I had an order confirmation. So much for that because they said they backordered everything because they were out of 'Cheddar'. That order had 2 other varieties of broccoli on it and some oddball seed like Carraway and Sesame and a Black peppercorn I was sorta hoping biig might be able to grow down south.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

I've got celery seed for both of ya but.... it was collected last year even though I bought it for this season. What I don't have is the Packman Broccoli I wanted to send to Dappy and the carraway and black peppercorn seed for biig. Do you guys care if I send out what I've got without screwing around waiting for an order I'm thinking isn't coming>>>? I wasn't ever charged for any of the order that had my 'Cheddar' cauliflower on it. I had an order confirmation. So much for that because they said they backordered everything because they were out of 'Cheddar'. That order had 2 other varieties of broccoli on it and some oddball seed like Carraway and Sesame and a Black peppercorn I was sorta hoping biig might be able to grow down south.

If you wanna share, I'll be happy with the celery seed. I've been thumbing through an heirloom seed catalog trying to pick out what to buy. Jeff even got into the act (a little) after I handed him the catalog. I think I saw a variety of broccoli I wanted to try...if I end up ordering it, I can send some to you and you can give it a try as well. Thanks, Lib.