Red Giant untreated Celery - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The 'Giant Red' NT celery is a herbaceous vegetable plant that grows to a height of 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24in). It is cultivated for its stalks and leaves, which are very aromatic. The foliage is compact and vigorous, with a tender green colour. It has wide, fleshy stalks in the shape of a gutter, which are dark red in color and very decorative. Sowing takes place from February to the end of May for a harvest 6 to 7 months after sowing.

It is a descendant of a plant called marsh parsley, native to the Mediterranean. This vegetable plant was not considered a vegetable but rather a medicinal plant, until the Renaissance.

Celery leaves are used as a condiment in soups, stews, and to flavor certain sauces and stuffings. Raw, tender, finely sliced stalks can be part of the ingredients in salads. Celery has many virtues; it is antirheumatic, appetizing, digestive, remineralizing, and contains vitamins as well as copper, iron, and iodine.

Celery requires a significant supply of well-decomposed compost or manure (5 kg per m²), as well as potash, in the form of wood ash, for example.

Harvest: Celery is harvested by cutting the whole plant at ground level as needed. This celery is sensitive to frost.

Storage: Before the first frosts, from late October, the plants are pulled up with their roots and stored in trenches or kept in a cellar in sand.

Gardener's tip: Celery is particularly demanding in terms of water and nutrients. Use a good mulch to maintain moisture at the base of the plant and provide a good supply of organic matter.