Golden Spartan Celery plugs - Apium graveolens

The Golden Spartan Celery is a variety with golden, finely cut and ample leaves. Its wide, fleshy and ribbed stalks are not stringy. Celery branch can be eaten raw, accompanied by an appetizer sauce, or cooked in soups and stews. The vegetable plugs of this variety can be planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest in autumn.

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

In terms of cooking, celeriac is grown for its large round root, with a pungent flavour. It can be eaten raw (grated, in remoulade...) or cooked (mashed, gratin, or sautéed). Celery branch is grown 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 simmered dishes. 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 stalk celery. Only cutting celery is shorter and can be grown in a pot.

Celery appreciates moist, light, and rich soils. In the previous autumn, add well-rotted compost after loosening the soil. During cultivation, provide vegetable fertiliser as celery is demanding in terms of fertilisation. They are excellent autumn-winter vegetables, to be sown under shelter in spring.

Harvesting: For celery branch and cutting celery, pick the leaves at the base according to your needs, from 5 to 6 months after sowing. Before winter frosts, you can completely remove the plug 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 the leaves above the collar as well as the rootlets.

Storage: The leaves of celery branch and cutting celery are best consumed fresh to fully enjoy their aroma. However, they can be dried and used as an aromatic plant 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, from the end of May, you mulch the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also reduces weeding.