A wild variety of celery native to China. Its slightly bitter, herbaceous aroma enhances the flavor of soups!
Misha: I’m going to try growing Chinese celery.
Hachibee: Another unfamiliar vegetable. It has a Chinese-sounding name.
Misha: That’s right, it’s a Chinese vegetable. It looks similar to celery, but its stalks and leaves are thinner. It’s said to be the original species of celery.
Hachibee: I’ve never heard of it before. Is it tasty?
Misha: It has a unique aroma and bitterness, like an herb. It’s used to mask the smell of meat dishes and as a condiment for soups.
Hachibee: It sounds like we could make some slightly ethnic dishes with it. Let’s try it right away!
Chinese celery “almost weekly” cultivation report
10/20 Seed planting
Hachibee: Wow, what an unusual color and shape of seed! It looks like a rice husk!
10/27 It hasn’t germinated yet.
Hachibee: Hmm.
11/3 Germination
Hachibee: Wow, the seeds are small, but the cotyledons are also super tiny.
Misha: Be careful not to mistake them for weed sprouts and pull them out.
11/10 The leaves turn a darker color.
Hachibee: They’re small leaves, but they’re starting to get a nice color from the sun.
Misha: The wind is getting colder for the little leaves. Let’s keep them warm with rice husks.
11/17 The leaves are starting to sprout in earnest.
Hachibee: It’s a little hard to see, but tiny true leaves are popping up!
Misha: The leaves are so tiny, you might easily overlook them. Let’s keep a close eye on them.
11/24 The leaves begin to grow larger.める
Hachibee: But it’s so tiny I can’t really see it.
12/1 The leaves increase
Hachibee: If you look closely, you can see that some of the leaves are indeed a little different in shape from the others!
12/8 The leaves begin to grow even larger.
Hachibee: Leaves that look like cat paw prints have sprouted!
12/15 Leaves that withstand cold waves
Hachibee: It’s cold! Are you really going to spend this season in such a tiny seedling state?
Misha: That’s what makes it Chinese celery. Now that no one else is sprouting or taking root, I think it can grow freely.
12/22 The leaves will grow even more
Hachibee: Christmas is almost here, but the leaves are still the color of spring. The number of leaves has increased a little too. Japanese parsley is so resilient.
12/29 Take a short break
Hachibee: Before we know it, it’s almost New Year’s Eve. Even Chinese celery must be on holiday break.
1/5 Growth break
Hachibee: Happy New Year! It feels like we’re on New Year’s holiday. But even in this cold weather, the leaves are still a vibrant green. It’s full of life.
1/12 One more rest
Hachibee: Wow! It’s cold. I guess they’re just waiting for spring.
1/19 Still on holidayお休み
Hachibee: It looks like he’s clinging tightly to the ground to keep warm.
1/26 The leaves begin to point upwards.
Hachibee: Oh! It’s still quite cold, but it seems the Chinese celery leaves have sensed something.
2/2 The stem begins to grow
Hachibee: It clearly looks like it’s starting to grow upwards.
2/9 New leaves are starting to emerge.
Hachibee: Things are getting hectic around the middle of the stock market!
2/16 The leaves begin to grow.
Hachibee: New leaves are coming out!
2/23 The stocks are becoming more three-dimensional.
Hachibee: Compared to around the New Year when there were only two or three leaves, the leaves have grown quite a bit, haven’t they?
Misha: Those little leaves really seem to have sensed spring.
3/2 The leaves increase and the stems thicken.
Hachibee: It’s coming!
Misha: It hit me all at once.
3/16 The stems begin to grow and the plants start to get taller.
Hachibee: Hmm, hmm. That’s quite a burst of energy.
Misha: The leaves are starting to look a lot like celery leaves now.
3/23 The leaves grow and the plant becomes lush.
Hachibee: 1, 2, 3… I was counting the number of leaves up until a certain point, but now I can’t count them anymore!
3/30 The leaves will grow even larger.
Hachibee: Those leaves are so fresh. With the slender stems, they definitely look more like Japanese parsley than celery.
Misha: The scent of the leaves has become quite strong, almost like herbs.
4/6 The stem branches out and the leaves increase.
Hachibee: There are leaves on each branch… The number of leaves has increased dramatically here.
4/13 The grass grows taller and taller.
Hachibee: It’s getting exciting!
4/20 The stems grow thick and the leaves become lush.
Hachibee: It suddenly took on a vegetable-like form. It’s growing incredibly fast, though.
Misha: It seems that celery grows to its peak when spring is in full swing.
4/27 The leaves grow thick
Hachibee: It’s grown so thick you can’t even see what’s on the other side anymore.
Misha: That’s right. The stems have gotten nice and thick, so now’s about the right time to harvest.
5/4 Buds begin to appear
Hachibee: While I was saying that, the buds have already started to appear!
Misha: The leaves start to thin out once these buds begin to appear, so we have to be careful not to miss the right time to harvest.
5/25 flowering
Hachibee: What a delicate white flower.
Misha: So many flowers are blooming! And it looks like the leaves are turning yellow as they replace them.
6/1 The leaves begin to wither.
ハチベエ：あらららら葉が・・・芹菜が～。
６/８ Seeds begin to form
Hachibee: Once the white flowers are gone, will there be as many seeds as there were flowers? That’s going to be an incredible number.
6/22 The seeds mature
Hachibee: The seeds, which were green, are gradually turning into a nice color.
Misha: You can really see the seeds maturing in Chinese celery. It has a really nice flavor.
6/29 Harvest
Hachibee: We harvested lots of cute little seeds.
Misha: It’s been about eight months since last fall. It was wonderful to see it endure the cold winter and then sprout so many leaves in the spring. The flowers weren’t particularly showy, but I was energized by this simple yet robust Chinese celery that seemed to smell of the earth.
~A quick tip! Cultivating Chinese celery~
Cultivation difficulty：★★☆☆☆
Plant in autumn for cold resistance
With the arrival of spring
Stems grow, leaves flourish, many flowers bloom, and countless seeds are produced
Its unique bitter taste is addictive
