Celeriac tips: moisture's the key

October 11, 2006

Celeriac tips: moisture's the key

One of the crops I am most looking forward to harvesting this autumn and winter are my celeriac. Despite a slow start they appear to be bulking up reasonably well, despite a roasting hot summer that should have finished them off.

You see, celeriac plants like moisture, and lots of it: in future years I think I'd mulch them heavily to prevent the soil from drying out. And having read this rather useful advice from veteran veg grower Al Diggins on the Radio 4 VegTalk website, it's worth me mulching this year's crop too, to help protect them through the winter - Al uses bracken, which is a top idea given that it grows everywhere. I'll also be taking the advice about removing lower leaves to encourage root growth, which I'd never heard before.

And I am hoping in a few weeks to try out some of the many celeriac recipes I've gleaned from other blogs with my haul of this admittedly rather ugly looking vegetable.

11 Oct 2006 21:59:19

4 Comments

wow...growing your own celeriac...lucky you..it's one of my fav veg. Thanks for putting the like into my celeriac soup. I also love it roasted with parsnip and potato for a white winter veg extravaganza

Posted by: jules | October 12, 2006 at 02:46 AM

Is bracken safe to use as a mulch? I read somewhere that it contains a cancer-causing chemical (PTQs) that can pollute soil and water...
Love your site!

Posted by: Lai | October 13, 2006 at 07:40 PM

That's an interesting one Lai. Here's what Cancer Research has to say on the matter: http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2577

There's also some sensible advice from Garden Organic, here: http://www.organicgardening.org.uk/factsheets/gg5.php

If there's any risk of the spores being inhaled, it's in the dry summer, so I am not overly worried about the dangers of using it as a mulch in the autumn. But of course, it's up to everyone to read the information and make their own minds up - there are lots of alternative mulches that can be used.

Posted by: Jane Perrone | October 15, 2006 at 01:41 PM

Thanks for the web links - very interesting reading. Apparently I need only worry if I'm grazing animals, but alas my allotment isn't quite big enough for that kind of thing - thanks!

Posted by: Lai | October 18, 2006 at 06:35 PM

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