The Home Vegetable Garden 
17 
CELERY 
Soil,—A moist loamy soil containing an abundance of vege¬ 
table matter is best suited to celery growing. It is better if the 
water table is only 3 or 4 feet below the surface, and, for this rea¬ 
son, the river bottoms of Colorado are best adapted to the crop. 
Rut celery may be grown profitably on higher land where the 
necessary moisture can be supplied by irrigation. The climate of 
this state is well suited to the growing of celery. It delights in 
our cool nights and bright days. 
Seed-bed .—The growing of the plants in the seed-bed is one 
of the most exacting operations connected with celery culture. The 
seed are small and slow to germinate and great care in water¬ 
ing and shading is necessary for good results. The soil in the 
seed-bed should be fine and rich. For the early crop, the seed 
should be planted in hotbeds the first or second week in March, 
while that for the late or main crop may be planted during the 
early part of April. The seed should be covered very lightly, say 
about a quarter of an inch and sometimes sand is used for this. 
Between the time of planting and the appearance of the young 
plants is a critical period. The surface of the soil should not be 
allowed to become dry, but large quantities of water cannot be ap¬ 
plied. The beds should be water with a fine spray, two or three 
times a day, if necessary. When the plants are very young, shad¬ 
ing on warm sunshiny days may be desirable. Cloth or lath 
screens will serve for this. When the plants are large enough to 
handle, they should be transplanted, if it is possible to do so. They 
may be planted in beds with 2 inches between plants each way. 
This method gives much more stocky plants and a much better de¬ 
veloped root system. 
Setting the Plants in the Field .—For the early crop, the plants 
will be ready to set in the field in May, and for the late crop the 
latter part of June. The bed should be given a thorough wetting 
before removing the plants, and if they have made a vigorous 
growth, it will be advisable to cut the tops back slightly, in order 
to reduce transpiration. Usually, a dibble is used to make the 
holes in which the plants are set and for pressing the soil around 
the roots. Sometimes in dry weather, it may be necessary to ap¬ 
ply a small amount of water around the roots of the plants as they 
are set out. 
Distances to Plant .—The distances at which the plants are set 
depends entirely on the method of blanching. There are several 
methods of blanching employed. The most common one is that 
where the plants are banked up with earth. In this case, the rows 
are made 5 or 6 feet apart and the plants set 6 inches apart in the 
