Celeriac seed question

Anyone know how long it takes for celeriac seeds to germinate? I am growing extremely impatient waiting for mine to sprout. They've been sown for a couple of weeks now, but nada.

Am I doing something wrong, or simply being impatient? On past records, I suspect it's the latter. But it would be good to have a timeframe after which I can start to become genuinely worried about the fate of my root vegetables ...

Comments

[Podchef]

In my experience Celeriac is notoriously hard to germinate and grow. I have tried direct seeding and sprouting--several times. I have never had any success. I finally put it down to the variety I was trying to grow--Mentor. It is certainly not as easy as Christopher Lloyd would make it seem. This spring I have purchased a different variety--Brilliant--from a different catalogue and am hoping for more success. I may even experiment a bit by starting two different batches, each a different way--perhaps using EM's. I think the key is warmth--13 to 29 degrees C. The warmer the better. Good luck. Can't wait to hear how you do.

[Jane Perrone]

Thanks for that - maybe I'll try a little bottom heat. Will keep you posted on progress - or lack of.

[Jess]

It IS a little tricky, but I've always managed to get it to germinate by sowing indoors in an unheated propagator (ie a seed modules with a lid on top!). Put in a bright room and forget. Sow on the surface and forget. It usually takes about 10 days before you see the first little shoots – they they take AGES to get bigger. It's like pulling teeth.

When they have a few small leaves I transplant the modules into pots. It's important not to touch the root system, because celeriac hates root disturbance. Then they sit in pots on my windowsills until late April. They grow incredibly slowly.

[Patrick Wiebe]

Be careful not to transplant it too early. I would say mid to late May is a good bet, depending on the weather and soil temp.

Celeriac is a biennial, meaning it goes to seed during it's second growing season. If you move it too quickly from your warm house into the cold ground, it gets confused and thinks it has gone through it's first season and emerged into it's second. What you then get are under-developed, blooming plants that are too woody to eat.

I learned this the hard way last year. I live in Amsterdam, so we probably have similar climates. For some reason this isn't mentioned many places, and it can be hard to know what is going on unless someone tells you.

Good luck.

[Jane Perrone]

thanks for the guidance patrick and jess. I'll make sure to hold off tranplanting for a while and see how it goes ....