Worth knowing:
The Pascal celery comes from wild celery and is known in the Mediterranean region as a tasty and effective medicinal plant since way back. It is said to have an aphrodisiac effect and its contents are anti-inflammatory and diuretic.
Natural Location:
Wild celery originated in the nutrient-rich limy and saline marsh soils of the European Mediterranean and Atlantic seaboard regions.
Cultivation:
With March, you best start propagation indoors on a sunny window sill. After 6 to 8 weeks, you can plant the seedlings out in May. To enhance germination you can soak the seeds in water overnight for priming. Then, place the seeds about 0,5 cm deep into the earth, give only a little bit of substrate on top and cover the seed container up with clear film. Don’t forget to poke some holes in the clear film as well, to prevent mold formation on your potting compost. A bright window sill with around 16° to 20° Celsius room temperature would be the perfect place for germination. When the seedlings show 2 or 3 well-developed leaves they can be moved into small pots and kept - with around 16° to 18° Celsius - a little bit cooler before planting out later on. About two weeks later, you should provide some fluid fertilizer for the first time. It is recommended to harden the young plants by placing the pots in a bright and somewhat protected place in the garden for a couple of days prior to planting out. The seedlings should be planted with a distance of 50 x 50 cm to each other and not deeper than initially in the pots.
Place:
Pascal celery prefers sunny to semi-shaded locations. As a heavy feeder the plant wants a nutrient-rich soil that is somewhat limy and sufficient moist.
Care:
This plant needs nutrients from the beginning and it should be watered regularly and generously, especially on hot days. Waterlogging should be avoided. After planting out, you should also constantly provide organic vegetable fertilizer. Due to its high sodium and boric demand, it is recommended to water the celery plant with stale saline cooking water. The pascal celery is ready to harvest in October. Since the plant is not hardy it should be harvested before the first night frost by pulling the whole plant including its roots out of the earth. For storage, cut the stalks 10 cm above the first leaf ramification, wrap them in newspaper and place them with the rooting next to each other in a box filled with moist sand. When kept in a cool basement your celery will stay fresh for up to eight weeks with this method.
During the winter:
Celery is sown again next year.
Picture credits:
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
