Celeriac takes nearly the whole growing season to bulk up, but a knobbly homegrown root has a cleaner, more concentrated celery flavour than anything from a shop.
Celeriac rewards a deep, compost-rich bed more than almost any other root crop, since it needs to stay evenly moist for months without the soil ever compacting around the swelling crown. A thick surface mulch does more for it than regular watering alone.
Sowing & growing calendar
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | Sow in February | Sow in March | ||||||||||
| Plant | Plant in May | |||||||||||
| Harvest | Harvest in October | Harvest in November | Harvest in December |
Care details
- Sow February – March
Sow indoors in a heated propagator — germination can take several weeks.
- Plant In May
Plant out once seedlings have several true leaves and frost risk has passed.
- Harvest October – December
Lift as needed from autumn; a light frost improves the flavour.
Growing tips & common problems
- Sow early — celeriac is slow to germinate and needs a long season, so a late start rarely catches up by autumn.
- Keep the soil consistently moist all season; like celery, a dry spell checks growth in a way the plant struggles to recover from.
- Strip away the lower, outer leaves in late summer to help light and air reach the swelling crown.
Grows well with
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