When to plant celery
Start celery seeds indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost and plant them out from the last frost to 2 weeks after.
Your dates for celery
Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant celery where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.
Celery planting dates by zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Plant out |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 2a | Feb 24 to Mar 10 | May 19 to Jun 2 |
| Zone 3a | Apr 16 to 30 | Jul 9 to 23 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 6 to 20 | Jun 29 to Jul 13 |
| Zone 4a | Mar 27 to Apr 10 | Jun 19 to Jul 3 |
| Zone 4b | Mar 20 to Apr 3 | Jun 12 to 26 |
| Zone 5a | Mar 15 to 29 | Jun 7 to 21 |
| Zone 5b | Mar 14 to 28 | Jun 6 to 20 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 12 to 26 | Jun 4 to 18 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 7 to 21 | May 30 to Jun 13 |
| Zone 7a | Mar 1 to 15 | May 24 to Jun 7 |
| Zone 7b | Feb 19 to Mar 5 | May 14 to 28 |
| Zone 8a | Feb 6 to 20 | May 1 to 15 |
| Zone 8b | Jan 27 to Feb 10 | Apr 21 to May 5 |
| Zone 9a | Jan 12 to 26 | Apr 6 to 20 |
| Zone 9b | Jan 5 to 19 | Mar 30 to Apr 13 |
Where frost is rare
Plant in late summer through winter so celery grows during the cooler months. In hot, dry desert weather the stalks often turn stringy and bitter, and heat can keep seed from germinating.
| Zone | Planting months in Extension guides |
|---|---|
| Zone 9 | Sep-Mar (Central FL); mid Aug-Dec (Phoenix low desert) |
| Zone 10 | Oct-Mar |
| Zone 11 | Oct-Mar |
Based on UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (VH021) Table 1: North FL Jan-Mar, Central FL Sep-Mar, South FL Oct-Mar. University of Arizona AZ1005 Maricopa County calendar: seed from mid-August, with seeds or transplants mid-September through December. UC ANR (Riverside County Master Gardeners) gives Aug 15-Sep 15 for the low desert and June-August for inland valleys. zone_9 uses Central FL plus Phoenix. zone_10 and zone_11 use South FL. No Hawaii source was checked. Warm-winter areas are matched to zones approximately, so use the months for your region.
How to grow celeryYour full planting calendar
Sources
- How to Grow Celery in Your Garden · Utah State University Extension
- Celery (commercial vegetable production recommendations, chapter F) · University of Maryland Extension
- Know What You Grow! Celery (fact sheet) · UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Riverside County Master Gardeners
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103/VH021) · UF/IFAS Extension
- Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005) · University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- When Is the Right Time to Plant Vegetable Seeds? Check Soil Temperature · University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension (Wisconsin Horticulture)
- Apium graveolens (Wild Celery) · NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox