Sowing

• The celeriac monarch plant has a long growing cycle from seed to maturity. To be able to harvest the roots in the fall, the seeds must be planted in February or March and generally are started indoors. Sow the seeds, two or three to a container, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep in a soil mix, then water. After planting the seeds, place the containers in a sealed plastic bag to control the moisture and temperature level until the seeds germinate. Maintain the room temperature between 70 and 75 degrees F until germination (21 to 25 days), then slightly lower the temperature. By mid May or early June, the seedlings should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches high and, after acclimating the seedlings to the outdoors for one or two weeks, can be planted in the garden.
  
  

In the Garden

• The soil you plant the celeriac monarch seedlings in should have been well fertilized with manure and compost the year before. Too much nitrogen to a celeriac plant will promote green foliage growth instead of the desired root growth. The soil should be well draining and kept damp, but not overly wet, throughout the growing season, particularly during hot spells. A full-sun location is ideal, but the plant can tolerate partial shade.
  
  

Tips

• Keep the weeds in check around the celeriac monarch plants, and if you see young shoots appearing midway during the growing season, remove them, as they will not help increase the size of the roots. Celeriac monarch plants are strong and mostly disease and pest free. Slugs and celery flies are the main pests. In September you can begin harvesting the roots as you use them, leaving the rest in the ground until just before the first hard frost or freeze. Light frost will not harm the roots. After harvesting the roots, store them in lightly moist peat or sand in a cool location, and you should be able to use the celeriac monarch until March.