Apium graveolens Seeds | Celery
LATIN NAME: Apium graveolens
COMMON NAME: Celery
Plant Profile
Apium graveolens — Celery — is a species with genuine garden merit. While it flowers, it feeds a quiet procession of bees and hoverflies. It is the sort of plant that quietly justifies the space it occupies.
Science & Biotechnology
The species features in the wider study of the Apium group, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. Celery seed, harvested separately from stalk crop, has also retained much of the plant’s original strong flavour and continues to be used as a distinct culinary spice. Little about its garden performance is mysterious; it has been grown and observed for a very long time.
Uses & Benefits
Celery brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Celery stalks are a globally familiar vegetable, eaten raw, cooked into soups and stocks, or juiced, valued for their crisp texture and mild flavour resulting from centuries of breeding away from the plant’s originally bitter wild character. Celery seed, by contrast, retains a much stronger, more concentrated flavour and is used as a distinct culinary spice, particularly in pickling blends and celery salt. Once it has its roots down, it more or less looks after itself.
Celery seed is an official herbal medicine in several traditions, used as a diuretic and for joint comfort, while the stalk is a kitchen staple valued for potassium and apigenin. Celery seed essential oil is also a classic flavoring.
Growing from Seed
Celery is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Sow seed onto surface of a loose, well-drained mix without covering it deeply, since light supports germination, and keep it consistently moist. Cool weather suits this crop well, and celery generally requires a longer growing season and more consistent moisture than many other vegetables to develop good-quality stalks. Sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly into a loose, well-drained seed compost, water in gently, and keep the sowing in bright light with steady moisture. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Celery has real presence in the garden without demanding much in return. Its wants are few — a sunny spot, soil that drains, and time to settle in.
Related Reading
If Celery appeals to you, these related plants are worth a look: