Time to talk about one of our passion crops! Celery! This one has been a wild journey for us, one of a few crops that we’ve done a complete 180 on.
If you talked to us 15 years ago, we’d have told you growing celery was a waste of time. It takes way too long to grow, it’s too water intensive and it’s stupid cheap at the grocer. What’s the point?
Well, curiosity got the best of us and one year, we decided to grow it. That year, we experienced soemthing profound, a thing experienced celery growers know well. Home grown celery is nothing like commercial. It’s a world of flavor depth and deliciousness that betrays your understanding. You think you know celery and then you’re like, “No, THAT’s celery!”
The difference is so profound for us that we insist on growing an entire year’s worth of celery, every season. We just can’t go back to store bought. Whatever it takes to grow it ourselves, it’s worth it.
The major drawback is it’s a very early sow. You subarctic growers still have time, but you’ve got to get on it, stat. It’s one of those crops that matures slowly, it really needs a full six months to achieve maturity. There are some niche nurseries that do sell celery starts, but it’s one that won’t sit on shelves long.
We’re trialing a couple “new to us” varieties this year. Our good old reliable Utah variety makes up the bulk of our crop. But we like “pretty colors” and usually grow one or two other types for diversity and color. We’re looking forward to sharing the newcomers with you in the harvest season!
We’ve introduced more than a few to this world! So, if you’re like we used to be, it’s time to question everything, get yourself to the seed store and jump on board!
