Celeriac - again!

[Primrose]

This is my third year attempting to grow celeric and despite all the manuring, watering and pulling off of outer leaves, I still have bulbs no larger than a tennis ball. Are they likely to grow any bigger if I bank them up with soil and leave them in situ over autumn & winter until they're needed or would I be better off harvesting them now and storing in peat during the winter?

[John]

Hello Primrose
Leave everything alone and let them grow on. Sounds to me as if they are doing pretty well and they will carry on growing until the cold weather stops them. Don't pull off too many outer leaves yet as they will be helping the roots to swell. Some soluble feeding will help - a balanced feed, one higher in K and P if you have it or a comfrey liquid will do.

John

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've the same problem Primrose, I've never managed to grow one larger than a tennis ball, and golf ball is usually more likely. I keep trying to follow all the tips, but get the same result.

I only keep trying as I really like Celeriac.

[sincerity]

A recipe in my cookbook indicated that I would need about 1/8th of a celeriac root. Unfortunately, that is about what I got, when I lifted the root out of the ground! Not for the lack of water in this part of the country ( South Wales Valleys)

[Beryl]

I would think it is a bit early to be lifting celeriac. I would be patient for another month at least. They will carry on growing as John says. They are after all a winter crop.

Beryl.

[Nature's Babe]

Good to know they have another month to grow, my first year growing celariac, mine are about tennis ball size too, and I did water them through the drought we had. How do the farmers get them so big or are those imported?.

[Primrose]

NB - the size of the big ones is a mystery to me too. We regularly see them the size of large swedes on a local market stall. I asked the stallholder whether they were British or imported and he didn't know, but they were quite inexpensive and I'm now beginning to ask myself whether it's worth devoting space to growing them when I can buy them that size so cheaply.

Incidentally, is there anything one can do with the leaves? I've used them in very small quantities in soups or stews etc but think the flavour is probably too strong on a larger scale to do too much with them?

[Beryl]

Mine are usually about the size of a large grapefruit when I harvest. I do
think they need a long growing season without any check. Start them off early under glass if you can, pot on to 3" pots but don't plant out until mid to late May. They don't like chilly mornings before established.

Best of luck - keep trying. It's worth it.

Beryl.

[Westi]

Mine are just swelling now so plan to do the first leaf removal this
weekend. Featured them this week on Gardeners World - Monty's had great long foliage whereas mine is quite low only about 5 or 6 inches so maybe it's down to variety or his box hedging is forcing them up to the light. Bit extreme to plant box hedging to prove this theory though!

Last year they didn't swell much but they are in part shade this year hidden behind the tarragon so maybe conserved more dampness Fingers crossed still a while to go before harvesting.

Westi

[Beryl]

Westi, if yours are only 5 or 6 " tall I would say they are far too small to be removing leaves yet. That is about the size I plant out in late May.
Mid-August I removed the first leaves.

Beryl.

[Westi]

Hi Beryl

They have loads of foliage just not very tall but the bulb is swelling nicely some are well over 6 - 8 inches. Maybe the dappled shade from the russian tarragon stunted them although I have never had great long fronds like Monty's even when I managed to grow mini monsters in a more open position.

I am now officially puzzled - I think they are Monarch so should they have long foliage? If they are I am obviously doing something wrong and just luck to be getting a crop maybe?

Westi

[Beryl]

Celeriac usually grows very well in partial shade, grown between 2 rows of runner beans is a good place. I am aware of the variety Monarch but not one I have grown. I still feel you should have much taller foliage at this time of the year. But if the bulb is swelling above the ground you must be doing something right. Just be aware it can be misleading they are shallow rooted and sometimes you can have lots of small roots underneath and nothing on top.

I always grow Prinz from Kings. The only organic seed I buy and have had consistantly good results every year.

Good luck hope you do get a good crop.

Beryl.

[Monika]

I have grown celeriac Bianco del Veneto (from Seeds of Italy) this year and have produced the largest bulbs ever, about grapefruit size like Beryl. I sowed them in the house about end of February and then moved them into cooler and cooler places. On the allotment I sunk a bottomless plastic bottle next to each plant and watered and fed them through this. I started removing the bottom leaves the moment they turned slightly yellow so that the plants only ever had green leaves on them. At the moment there is only a tuft of green leaves left on the top.

The reason for choosing Bianco del Veneto? Last year I saw some huge celeriac of that variety in the kitchen garden at RHS Harlow Carr.

[Beryl]

I think you have proved my point Monika they do need a long growing season. Well done.

Beryl.

[Primrose]

Perhaps the variety does make a difference to size as I've only ever grown Monarch and because I only grow a relatively small number of plants, I'll probably use this year's leftover seed next year as it seems extravagant to buy new packets every year. However, perhaps when that is used up I'll swap to Bianco del Veneto and see if I have better luck size-wise with that.