Growing celery in my kitchen window.

Ruth n Jersey

Ruth n Jersey

Well-known Member
Location
Northern New Jersey
I saw this on a gardening website and decided to give it a try. They say you can grow celery from the root end of celery you purchase in the supermarket. First you cut off the root end and leave it in water for about nine days. I thought it would rot but it didn't. Then transfer it to a pot with soil, exposing just the center of the root. The last picture is after a month or two in the soil. I doubt I will get any real large stalks from it, but it was fun growing it. It makes a nifty houseplant.celery started (800x600).jpgcelery2 (800x600).jpgcelery latest (800x600).jpg Maybe enough for tuna salad one of these days.
 

That is an interesting little experiment!

I would try snipping off a few leaves and using them like an herb in tuna salad or other situations where you just need a little fresh celery taste.
 

This is great Ruth.

Remember back in the 70's the avocado pits we tried to grow? Mine were terrible.

I have gotten potatoes to grow leaves while in a saucer of water for the grandkids to watch, but this celery looks very good to me. Thanks for the tip.
 
Carla said:
Ruth, what do you mean "exposing just the center of the root"? Maybe I will try that .
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Carla,just plant the root covering the top with a small amount of soil except for the very center, about the size of a small quarter still showing. You will know how much because after about nine days in the water you will see the celery sprouting from the middle. This is the part you don't want to cover with soil. After I planted mine I watered it in by putting a little bit on the center which washed away any soil that accidentally got in the middle. . I keep the plant moist and don't let it dry out. Once in awhile I give it a little Miracle Grow.
 
I bought some yesterday. I like celery, use it in stews and soups and salads. Have two small bottoms in water, see what happens.
 
This morning I trimmed up a dilapidated bunch of celery that was in the vegetable crisper.

Why on earth they call it a crisper is beyond me!

I trimmed the stalks and put them in a glass of water in the refrigerator, before I tossed the root end I decided to put it to soak!

We'll see!!!
 
In the spring I often buy a medium size bag of potting soil. I put it outside in a place where it won't fall over, cut the top of the bag off exposing the soil. I take a kabob stick and poke a bunch of holes in the side around the bottom. Then I cut up my favorite type of potato, making sure each piece has an eye. I stick the pieces in the soil, about a third down and water it in. Then I water it when dry and harvest potatoes as I eat them. First some little baby ones (yum!!!) and so forth. At the end of the year I pour all the soil on a garden patch that needs improving and pick out all the remaining potatoes.

I garden a lot, but I am a lazy gardener, I use short cuts wherever possible.
 
Carla, that's great. Mine is looking good but slowed down a bit. Hopefully it will get thicker stalks. Dog lover, that's a great idea. I have gotten lazy with my gardening also. I use to plant potatoes pretty deep in my garden. Then realized I had to dig to China to get them. Now I plant them very shallow and put tons of grass clippings on top. In the fall I pull it all away and there they are. No need for a shovel. I just have to keep them well covered with the clippings so they don't turn green. I lost a couple that way. Not suppose to eat them if they have any green on them. Practice makes perfect.
 
Ruth, why do you think it would never grow into stalks? From your last photo it looks like it could. Maybe it would require a larger pot. It looks really healthy. How much sun does it get? I think you have the magic touch!
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
Carla, that's great. Mine is looking good but slowed down a bit. Hopefully it will get thicker stalks. Dog lover, that's a great idea. I have gotten lazy with my gardening also. I use to plant potatoes pretty deep in my garden. Then realized I had to dig to China to get them. Now I plant them very shallow and put tons of grass clippings on top. In the fall I pull it all away and there they are. No need for a shovel. I just have to keep them well covered with the clippings so they don't turn green. I lost a couple that way. Not suppose to eat them if they have any green on them. Practice makes perfect.
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You can even put some straw in an old cardboard box, put some potato pieces on top, and add another layer of straw. You can keep layering as the greens keep coming up. At the end of the season, cut the box apart (or wet it so you can just pull it) and take your potatoes.
 
OK Ruth. I planted mine today, they are two smaller ones because I buy the organic. How is yours doing?
 
Carla said:
OK Ruth. I planted mine today, they are two smaller ones because I buy the organic. How is yours doing?
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Mine is very healthy but has slowed down tremendously. I don't know how big the actual root of a celery plant is. Maybe it should have been in a bigger pot. Mine gets early morning sun and it is in a cool spot. I doubt it is going to get big thick stalks. But it is fun seeing what will happen. I guess if it shows signs of dying I'll just use the leaves for flavoring in something. I would like to get enough of a stalk to put it in a salad so I can gloat and say I grew it in my kitchen window.
 
We have to amuse ourselves somehow in the winter hahaha. Hydroponic lettuce is grown in those tiny plant cells-you can see that because they come with the root and dirt. That must be easy to grow but requires space. I can only eat the butter lettuce so I buy it fairly often.
 
Very cool Ruth, the only thing I ever tried planting like that was a few avocado seeds, they grew for awhile but died pretty quickly like many of my plants. :( Might try it with the celery someday when I make a fresh salad.
 
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