When to plant Celery
A long-season, moisture-hungry crop that tests a gardener's patience. It demands rich soil and water it can never run short of, plus cool conditions — stress makes it bolt and turns the stalks bitter and stringy.
Companions: Cabbage, beans, leek, tomato
How to grow Celery
Celery is usually started indoors and transplanted out, giving this half-hardy crop the head start it needs. Give it full sun to part shade and space plants about 8 inches apart. It takes roughly 120 days from planting to its first harvest, so count that against your frost dates to be sure it can finish. Classic companions include cabbage, beans, leek, tomato.
Grower's tip: Thirsty and slow — it needs constant moisture and rich soil, or the stalks turn stringy and bitter.
When to plant Celery by USDA zone
Timing shifts with your climate — the same celery goes in weeks earlier in a mild zone than a cold one. Find your zone below for its planting window, or open that zone's full calendar.
| Zone | When to plant |
|---|---|
| Zone 1a | Start seeds indoors Apr 6–Apr 20 Transplant outdoors Jun 8–Jun 22 |
| Zone 1b | Start seeds indoors Apr 1–Apr 15 Transplant outdoors Jun 3–Jun 17 |
| Zone 2a | Start seeds indoors Mar 27–Apr 10 Transplant outdoors May 29–Jun 12 |
| Zone 2b | Start seeds indoors Mar 21–Apr 4 Transplant outdoors May 23–Jun 6 |
| Zone 3a | Start seeds indoors Mar 16–Mar 30 Transplant outdoors May 18–Jun 1 |
| Zone 3b | Start seeds indoors Mar 11–Mar 25 Transplant outdoors May 13–May 27 |
| Zone 4a | Start seeds indoors Mar 6–Mar 20 Transplant outdoors May 8–May 22 |
| Zone 4b | Start seeds indoors Mar 1–Mar 15 Transplant outdoors May 3–May 17 |
| Zone 5a | Start seeds indoors Feb 24–Mar 10 Transplant outdoors Apr 28–May 12 |
| Zone 5b | Start seeds indoors Feb 19–Mar 5 Transplant outdoors Apr 23–May 7 |
| Zone 6a | Start seeds indoors Feb 10–Feb 24 Transplant outdoors Apr 14–Apr 28 |
| Zone 6b | Start seeds indoors Feb 4–Feb 18 Transplant outdoors Apr 8–Apr 22 |
| Zone 7a | Start seeds indoors Jan 27–Feb 10 Transplant outdoors Mar 31–Apr 14 |
| Zone 7b | Start seeds indoors Jan 21–Feb 4 Transplant outdoors Mar 25–Apr 8 |
| Zone 8a | Start seeds indoors Jan 11–Jan 25 Transplant outdoors Mar 15–Mar 29 |
| Zone 8b | Start seeds indoors Jan 4–Jan 18 Transplant outdoors Mar 8–Mar 22 |
| Zone 9a | Start seeds indoors Dec 20–Jan 3 Transplant outdoors Feb 21–Mar 7 |
| Zone 9b | Start seeds indoors Dec 7–Dec 21 Transplant outdoors Feb 8–Feb 22 |
| Zone 10a | Start seeds indoors Nov 22–Dec 6 Transplant outdoors Jan 24–Feb 7 |
| Zone 10b | Start seeds indoors Nov 6–Nov 20 Transplant outdoors Jan 8–Jan 22 |
| Zone 11a | Start seeds indoors Oct 23–Nov 6 Transplant outdoors Dec 25–Jan 8 |
| Zone 11b | Start seeds indoors Oct 23–Nov 6 Transplant outdoors Dec 25–Jan 8 |
| Zone 12a | Start seeds indoors Oct 23–Nov 6 Transplant outdoors Dec 25–Jan 8 |
| Zone 12b | Start seeds indoors Oct 23–Nov 6 Transplant outdoors Dec 25–Jan 8 |
| Zone 13a | Start seeds indoors Oct 23–Nov 6 Transplant outdoors Dec 25–Jan 8 |
| Zone 13b | Start seeds indoors Oct 23–Nov 6 Transplant outdoors Dec 25–Jan 8 |