The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-11
Celery Growing in the South.


celery grown in the South. Many good
gardeners just seemed to be of the opin-
ion that our soil and climate did not
suit this splendid salad plant and so they
did not attempt to grow it. even for their
own home use.
But with the introduction of the dwarf
self-bIanching varieties new efforts were
made in the culture of celery, and now
most any gardener who takes reasonable
pains with 1t can easily grow it for both,
home use and for market.
1t was thought for long time that only
particular kind of soil. mostly clay and
humus, was suited to its growth, and it
was likewise thought that the plants must
be set in deep trenches. so as to allow
of being blanched by the filling in of the
trench.
Now, the improved sorts can be set in
very shallow burrows or even on the level
ground and the blanching can be readily
done with boards or with straw or with
old newspapers twisted around the
punches.
For the early crop. for use in late
spring or summer time, the seeds are
sown in cold frames early in January or
cannot be done earlier), but the earlier
the better The plants should be ready
to set out as soon as possible after hard
frosts are over.
Using a good variety, like the
Pink Plume the next most i'm
portant step is to put the soil
in proper shape for growing perfect
celery The soil must be made rich
sure enough rich. No half way enrich
rfI OGt he
applied and worked in and applied again
and worked in. For a depth of six or
eight inches the soil must be we'll mixed
| with the very best of old manure, manure
that has been worked over and thrown
| up until 1t has lost its power to ferment
any further when applied to the soil. A
| good top dressing of hardwood ashes or
cottonseed hull ashes is always in order.
| II there is any Lack of the mineral ele-
ments. potash and phosphoric acid bo' h
must be supplied else a perfect crop can
| not be made
| The plants can be set in rows two and
| one-ha,f feet apart, and twelve Inches
| apart in the rows, or the bed plan can be
! followed. In this method beds are laid
| off four feet wide, and the plants set at
! a distance of Sx10 inches, and after the
plants are we'll started the bed is mulched
with straw to the depth of several inches,
]
until the time for bleaching has arrived.
! If the land is made as rich as 1t should
be, and planting in rows practced,the rows
need not be wider apart than 20 or "a
| inches If the cultivation is done with a
| garden plow and scuffie hoe.
| Where the soil is light and freely sup
| piled with organic manure such as sta
| Bile manure compost, the soil should be
well firmed with roller before the plants
are set out This firming should be done
| with a regular roller or a heavy barrel
| and when the soil is fairly dry.
The cultivation should be frequent and
| shallow, always just enough to break the
| crust and to destroy the sprouting weeds.
| After the mulch is put on the next thing
| of importance is water. If this can be
| freely applied in the absence of rain, there
will be no difficulty in making fine celery.
| 1t must be made by quick and steady
| growth IL it would be tender and fit for
| use.
| Half or more of the failures in celery
| growing is owing altogether to the pov-
| erty of the soil. II is difficult to make the
| soil too rich for celery or lettuce-plants
that are not grown for their seed. The
manure must. however. be evenly distrib-
| uted on and through the soil to depth
| of six or eight inches, and must be chiehy
! of an organic character, and it must nave
lost its power to ferment or heat any
| more Finally IT is just as easy to grow
| celery now as cabbage or caulifoWer.