When to Plant Celery
Celery is a half-hardy cool-season vegetable. It takes light frosts but not a hard freeze.
Start seeds indoors 9 to 11 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out 1 to 3 weeks after the last frost. The first harvest comes about 75 to 100 days after transplanting.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Dec 28 – Jan 11 | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 |
| Harden off | Mar 15 – 21 | Apr 15 – 21 | May 15 – 21 |
| Plant out | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 22 – May 6 | May 22 – Jun 5 |
| Harvest | Jun 5 – Jul 17 | Jul 6 – Aug 17 | Aug 5 – Sep 16 |
Growing celery
Seedlings chilled below about 50F for long spells tend to bolt, so wait for settled weather and keep the soil moist.
- Spacing: 8 in apart, in rows 24 in apart. In a raised bed, 1 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 75 to 100 from transplanting, then about 6 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: celery is in the carrot family. Plant it where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush bean, cabbage, cauliflower, cherry tomato, chives, collards, garlic, green onion, kale, kohlrabi, leek, nasturtium, onion (bulb), pole bean, shallot, tomato. See companion plants for celery.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant celery and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start celery indoors?
9 to 11 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Jan 28 – Feb 11. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can celery go in before the last frost?
No. Celery is best planted once the frosts are over: plant it out 1 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost.
How long does celery take to grow?
About 75 to 100 days from transplanting to the first harvest, which then lasts about 6 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Germination Requirements for Annuals and Vegetables
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)