edenhana

Celeriac

A distinct crop from this site's existing celery, grown for its swollen, knobbly root rather than its stalks. Sow in spring, either direct in seed trays or as seedlings, and keep the soil consistently moist for the entire growing season; letting it dry out is the main cause of a small, woody, disappointing root at harvest. It's a genuinely long-season crop, 20 to 28 weeks from sowing to a root about the size of a tennis ball, so it needs a bed that can be tied up for most of a growing season rather than squeezed in as a quick crop.

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Sun
full sun
Water
high
Spacing
25cm
Harvest
Ready in 140-196 days
Difficulty
intermediate
Grows in
Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
Expected yield
1 root per plant, roughly the size of a tennis ball
Common pests
Slugs and snails

When to plant by region

In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: August-October. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: September-October. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast and Christchurch / Canterbury: October-November. In Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: October.

Growing stages

  1. SowingSpring

    • Sow in trays at a depth roughly three times the seed's own diameter
    • Transplant seedlings out 4-6 weeks after sowing, once they're large enough to handle

  2. Thinning & establishment

    • Once seedlings reach around 10cm tall, thin and discard the weakest, leaving the strongest at 20cm spacing with rows at least 40cm apart
    • Watch for slugs and snails on young seedlings

  3. Vegetative growth

    • Keep soil consistently moist throughout hot or dry periods; irregular watering is the main cause of a small, woody root
    • This is a long, slow-growing crop; don't expect quick results the way a leafy green would give them

  4. Harvest20-28 weeks from sowing

    • Lift once the swollen root base reaches around the size of a tennis ball
    • Harvest before hard frost in colder regions, since the exposed root sits mostly above soil level

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