Grow by Season

When to Plant Celery

Start celery indoors 10 to 12 weeks before your last frost, then plant them out 1 to 3 weeks after your last frost.

Celery at a glance

Start indoors
10 to 12 weeks before your last frost
Plant out
1 to 3 weeks after your last frost
Time to harvest
85 to 120 days from planting out
Harvest lasts
about 8 weeks
Spacing
4 per square foot
Frost
Takes a light frost

Growing celery

Celery needs a long, mild, moist season and rich soil. Start the seed indoors early, since it grows slowly, and set the young plants out once the nights are no longer cold. A mulch keeps the soil cool and moist.

Dates by hardiness zone

Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.

When to plant celery in each USDA hardiness zone
ZoneStart indoorsPlant outHarvest
Zone 3aMar 5–19Jun 4–18Aug 28 – Sep 28Pick a fast variety.
Zone 3bFeb 22 – Mar 8May 24 – Jun 7Aug 17 – Oct 9
Zone 4aFeb 17 – Mar 3May 19 – Jun 2Aug 12 – Oct 7
Zone 4bFeb 13–27May 15–29Aug 8 – Oct 3
Zone 5aFeb 8–22May 10–24Aug 3 – Sep 28
Zone 5bFeb 6–20May 8–22Aug 1 – Sep 26
Zone 6aFeb 4–18May 6–20Jul 30 – Sep 24
Zone 6bJan 29 – Feb 12Apr 30 – May 14Jul 24 – Sep 18
Zone 7aJan 22 – Feb 5Apr 23 – May 7Jul 17 – Sep 11
Zone 7bJan 11–25Apr 12–26Jul 6 – Aug 31
Zone 8aJan 4–18Apr 5–19Jun 29 – Aug 24
Zone 8bDec 23 – Jan 6Mar 24 – Apr 7Jun 17 – Aug 12
Zone 9aDec 8–22Mar 9–23Jun 2 – Jul 28
Zone 9bNov 9–23Feb 8–22May 4 – Jun 29
Zone 10aNov 1–15Jan 31 – Feb 14Apr 26 – Jun 21
Zones 10b–11bFrost is rare here, so grow celery in the cooler months, from fall to early spring.

Good neighbors

Questions about celery

Is celery hard to grow?

It asks for patience: celery grows slowly and needs a long, mild season. Start it early indoors and set it out once the nights are no longer cold.

Can I pick celery a few stalks at a time?

Yes. Cut the outer stalks as you need them and the plant keeps growing from the center, or harvest the whole plant once it is full-sized.

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