Golden Spartan Celery - Apium graveolens

The Golden Spartan Branch Celery is a variety with golden, finely cut and ample leaves. Its wide, fleshy and ribbed stalks are not stringy. Sow from February to April in a warm place, then in open ground until May. Harvest from August to November. Branch celery can be consumed raw, accompanied by an appetiser sauce, or cooked in soups and stews.

Celery is a vegetable from the Apiaceae family (formerly Umbelliferae) and comes in various forms. The most common are celeriac, branch celery, and cutting celery. These three types of celery originate from the same plant, the marsh parsley. This plant is a hardy perennial, native to Mediterranean countries, and is also known as perpetual celery.

In terms of cooking, celeriac is cultivated for its large round root, with a pungent flavour. It can be consumed raw (grated, in remoulade...) or cooked (mashed, gratin, or sautéed). Branch celery is cultivated for its stalks, which are the main veins of its leaves. These can be eaten raw, for example with salt, or cooked to flavour soups or sauces. The leaves of cutting celery are similar to parsley and perfectly enhance soups or stews. Celery is rich in vitamins, minerals, and low in calories.

In the vegetable garden, plant celery in a sunny or semi-shaded spot. It is a hardy plant that can reach 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28in) in height for celeriac and branch celery. Only cutting celery is shorter and suitable for container gardening.

Celery prefers damp, light, and rich soils. In the previous autumn, add mature compost after loosening the soil well. During cultivation, provide vegetable fertiliser as celery is nutrient-demanding. These are excellent autumn-winter vegetables, to be sown under shelter in spring.

Harvesting: For branch celery and cutting celery, pick the leaves at the base as needed, from 5 to 6 months after sowing. Before winter frosts, you can completely remove the root ball and store it in a cellar for several weeks. As for celeriac, it is harvested in autumn and before the first frosts. Dig up the bulbs, let them dry for a day on the ground, and cut off the leaves above the collar as well as the rootlets.

Storage: The leaves of branch celery and cutting celery should be consumed fresh to fully enjoy their aroma. However, they can be dried and used as a herb or frozen. Celeriac should be stored in a cool and humid place, protected from light, and can be kept for several months.

Gardener's Tip: To reduce watering, we recommend that you mulch the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves, starting from late May. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also reduces the need for weeding.