Plant · P-312

Celery

Apium graveolens var dulce

Celery only tolerates a narrow temperature band - it grows best around 60-70F, bolts if temperatures dip below 40-55F, and stalls if the average high climbs above 75F - so in a hot-summer, mild-winter climate it only works as a late-summer transplant harvested through the coldest months, with a hot establishment period that needs heavy shade and watering. Leaf, root and seed are all edible, and the seed doubles as a culinary spice, so a plant that bolts before harvest is not a total loss. Unlike most vegetables it actually wants heavy, water-holding soil rather than sandy drainage, and its trimmed leafy tops make a genuine high-protein poultry feed rather than just compost material.