Apium graveolens.
The North American standard for stalk celery since the 1950s. The Tall Utah line was selected by the United States Department of Agriculture to combine the generous stalks of Pascal celery — a variety developed in the late 19th century in the Kalamazoo region of Michigan by Dutch-immigrant market gardeners who long dominated American celery cultivation — with improved resistance to several common diseases (heart rot, fusarium, mosaic) and to premature bolting. The "52-70" designates the selection line, and the variety still holds its place after more than seventy years on the market.
Upright stalks 45-60 cm tall, thick, meaty, crunchy, medium-to-dark green, naturally a little milder than the old blanching celeries, with that characteristic fragrance that perfumes a quarter of the world's soups. Indispensable in the French mirepoix (onion-celery-carrot), the Italian soffritto, the Cuban sofrito, and the Cajun "holy trinity" (with bell pepper). Raw in sticks with a dip or stuffed with cream cheese for the kids, braised whole, melted into a risotto, or simply chewed as-is as a no-calorie snack. The leaves — often overlooked — have an even more intense flavour than the stalks and work wonders in a stock or a compound butter.
Grower's tip: Let's say it plainly: celery is not for the impatient gardener. A 100-130 day cycle, with mandatory indoor start 10-12 weeks before transplanting, and slow germination (14-21 days) provided you keep the seeds on the surface in the light (they need it to emerge) and constantly moist. Once in the garden, it demands a soil very rich in organic matter, regular and abundant watering — a water shortage, even brief, hardens the stalks and develops a tenacious bitterness — and a cool location. But the reward is worth it: a homegrown celery has a fragrance and a sweetness the grocery store never delivers.
- Open-pollinated. Biennial, so flowering only occurs in the second year; insect-pollinated.
- Height: 45-60 cm.
- Maturity: 100-130 days after transplant.
- Exposure: full sun to part shade (part shade is even preferable in summer).
- Rich, deep soil saturated with organic matter, constantly moist. Space plants 25-30 cm apart.
- Start indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost (mid-February to early March in Québec). Transplant once all frost risk has passed, without burying the crown. Tolerates the first autumn frosts well.
