Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Fleeting February

I hate to let a month go without at least ONE post. I have little gardening news to report. The garlic has stored well and I am still have a healthy supply. And there are still carrots and leeks and parsnips to harvest. I am thinking about a new "challenge crop" this year ... celery. I use LOTS of celery in my cooking. I know that fresh grown celery tastes SO much better than the industrially produced variety, but the work required is daunting.

Anyone in Zone 7 or lower have a celery variety suggestion?

2 comments:

el said...

Hi Leslie,

Hope you're well...glad you're thinking ahead!

I grow two types of celery: Golden Self-Blanching and a red celery whose name escapes me now. They do quite well in my clay soil; I tend to plant them in boggy patches outside of the raised beds. They self-seed like mad, a good thing. I am able to keep small plants alive in the greenhouse over the winter; they seem to carry less water in their cells so aren't as prone to freezing and rotting.

BUT you really should try to get ahold of some Par-Cel cutting celery. It's a mashup of celery and curly parsley. This manages to stay alive outdoors all winter here and of course goes cray-zay in the greenhouses. As a confessed celery/parsley fool, I admire your challenge.

(All seed from Fedco fyi)

leduesorelle said...

I second on the cutting celery — it lasts far into the fall, and also freezes well! We'll have to wait and see how the bit that's now sprouting survives this coming snowstorm...