When to Plant Celery in North Carolina?

Starting Celery

• Celery seed is obstinately slow, taking anywhere from 10 to 14 days to germinate. Seeds germinate best between 70 and 75 degrees, but should be removed from any additional heat source as soon as sprouts appear. Sow seeds directly into cells or seedling flats, covering only very lightly with soil, and water well. Seed should be started 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost date. Once transplants are large enough to move outdoors, they require a week or two of hardening off, or gradual exposure to direct sunlight, drying winds and fluctuating temperatures.

Start Dates

• Because North Carolina’s topography includes warm coastal zones but also rugged mountain terrain, where you live in the state determines when you will need to start your celery seed prior to transplanting in the garden. Coastal Carolina areas have an average last frost from April 1 through 10, so seed should be started from mid- to late January. Piedmont areas including Charlotte and Greensboro, but excluding the immediate Jacksonville area, have average last frosts from April 11 to 30, so celery here needs to be started in the last week of January or first week of February. Gardeners in the northern part of the state and the lower mountain areas, including Winston-Salem, Hickory and Asheville should time their starts for early to mid-February. Middle-mountain elevations should start seed from mid- to late February, and Blue Ridge residents can start seed from late February through the middle of March.

Transplanting Dates

• Again, the last killing frost of spring determines when young seedlings can be set out into the garden. Seedlings need at least five strong leaves before they are large enough to transplant. Young celery can be set out a week or two before the last frost but should be covered with a light sheet or row cover if abnormally low temperatures are forecast. Coastal Carolina gardens are usually ready for celery by March 25 through April 1; northern Carolina, by April 4 through 11; lower mountain areas, by April 14 through 21; mid-mountain elevations, by April 24 through May 1; and Blue Ridge heights, by May 4 through 11.

Best Varieties for North Carolina

• University trials have tested several varieties of celery and found that a few readily available types of celery perform well in North Carolina gardens, particularly in the eastern half of the state. “Ventura” frequently appears in seed catalogs and is popular for its reliable growth rate, medium build and early harvest time, usually about 100 days after transplant. “Starlet” stands out as a taller variety that is slow to bolt and set seed. “Tall Utah” is taller and heavier yielding than the equally worthy “Tall Utah Improved,” which has an earlier harvest time by 10 to 15 days, slower to bolt and more resistant to cracking and disease.