How to Grow Chinese Leaf Celery
Apium graveolens var. secalinum
Chinese leaf celery is a fast, easy cut-and-come-again herb with intensely flavoured hollow stems. Sow thinly on the surface in spring or autumn — seeds need light to germinate. It prefers cool weather and tolerates partial shade, making it ideal for spring and autumn harvests. Keep soil consistently moist and harvest outer stems regularly once plants reach 20–30 cm. Remove flower stalks immediately to keep leaves coming. Used widely in Chinese, Vietnamese, and broader East Asian cooking; far quicker and less demanding than stalk celery.
In your Leaftide garden - Hardiness
- Half Hardy
- Season
- Cool Season
- Harvest
- Continuous Harvest
- Spacing
- 20 cm
- Height
- 50 cm
- Min. soil temperature
- 10°C+
- Start from
- Seed
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate
When to Start
Sow indoors 4 weeks before last frost, or direct sow outdoors after frost risk has passed and soil reaches 10°C.
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Growth Stages
Approximate days from start
Care Essentials
- Light liquid feed every 2–3 weeks. Overly rich feeding produces lush but less flavourful growth.
- Much faster and easier than stalk celery. Sow thickly for a cut-and-come-again bed. Tolerates partial shade — useful in hot summers. Intense celery flavour used extensively in East and Southeast Asian cooking.
Growing Conditions
- Min. soil temperature
- 10°C+
- Germination temperature
- 15–21°C
- Sow indoors
- —
- Transplant out
- —
- First harvest
- —
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Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 20 cm |
| Row spacing | 25 cm |
| Sow depth | 0 cm |
| Mature height | 50 cm |
| Mature spread | 20 cm |
Can be sown thickly and thinned. Cut-and-come-again harvesting allows closer spacing if outer stems are regularly removed.
Growing Conditions
| Min. soil temperature | 10°C |
| Germination temperature | 15–21°C |
| Base growth temperature | 5°C |
| Min. daylength to start | 10h |
| Photoperiod sensitivity | day neutral |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How far apart should I plant Chinese Leaf Celery?
- Plant Chinese Leaf Celery 20cm apart with 25cm between rows.
- When can I harvest Chinese Leaf Celery?
- Chinese Leaf Celery is ready to harvest approximately 50 days after transplanting.
- Is Chinese Leaf Celery frost hardy?
- Chinese Leaf Celery is classified as Half Hardy.