Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Marginal

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Won't grow here

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

⚠→✕

Marginal today, but likely out of range by 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 26 ecoregions — 11 climate-resilient through 2070 · 15 suited today. Best matches first.

Central Tallgrass prairie

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Central-Southern Cascades Forests

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Colorado Rockies forests

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Nebraska Sand Hills mixed grasslands

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Northeastern Coastal Forests

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Northeastern Hardwoods

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Northern Pacific Alaskan coastal forests

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Northern Tallgrass prairie

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Sierra Nevada forests

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South Central Rockies forests

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What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun

Water

Consistent moisture

Spacing

13"

Habit

Upright clump of fleshy ribbed leaf stalks from a basal crown

Care tips

•

Keep the soil rich, evenly moist, and mulched — celery never recovers well from drying out, which turns stalks stringy and bitter.

•

Grow it in the cool ends of the season (spring and fall); steady 60-75°F temperatures beat midsummer heat.

•

Begin harvesting outer stalks at 6-8 inches and let the heart keep growing for a longer pick.

Lifecycle

Planting

Start seed indoors about 10 weeks before the last spring frost date. Set hardened-off starter plants out about 12-15 inches apart after the last spring frost, in moist, rich, well-drained soil in full sun. (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder.)

Transplanting

Transplant young starts after frost risk passes; celery resents heat, so time plantings for cool spring or fall growing windows.

Early growth

Provide regular fertilization and consistent watering — celery requires steady moisture and dislikes heat and humidity, performing best at 60-75°F. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture and suppresses weeds. (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder.)

Maturity

Stalks are ready to harvest after 3-4 months; harvest may begin once outer stalks reach 6-8 inches tall, while the heart of the plant continues to grow. For blanched (paler, milder) stalks, build a frame over the bed in fall and cover with paper that totally blocks light. (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder.)

Propagation

Grown from seed each season; the plant is biennial but is cropped as an annual before it flowers.

Pollination

Self-fertile

Celery is biennial and is harvested as an annual for its leaf stalks before it flowers, so pollination is not part of normal garden cultivation. If overwintered into a second year it produces small green-to-white umbel flowers typical of the carrot family (Apiaceae). (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder.)

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Butterfly

Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

Celery is a carrot-family (Apiaceae) plant, and University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension documents that black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) caterpillars feed on cultivated dill, parsley, fennel, celery, caraway, and carrot in backyard gardens — where the caterpillar can even be considered a pest.

For people

Edible

Grown as a vegetable for its crisp edible leaf stalks; Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists "Vegetable" as the primary use. Harvest begins when outer stalks reach 6-8 inches tall.

Native range

AHS heat range

1-6

Climate notes

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists Apium graveolens var. dulce (celery) for USDA Zones 3 to 6, full sun, and medium water, reaching about 2.0-2.5 feet tall and 1.0-1.5 feet wide.

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder describes celery as a cool-weather vegetable that dislikes heat and humidity, with best growing-season temperatures of 60-75°F, requiring moist, rich, well-drained soil with regular fertilization and consistent watering.

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder notes Apium graveolens is a biennial-to-perennial herb reportedly native to temperate Mediterranean climates in Europe, Asia, and Africa — it is not native to North America.

In the designer

Growth over time

10-12" tall · 6-9" spread

Seedlings started indoors ~10 weeks before last frost; slow, even early growth.

Design roles: Edible

Seasonal interest

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Filled = the plant has seasonal interest · ▾ now = your current season

Celery

At a glance

Related products

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Plants don't grow alone

For people

Native range

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Sources & citations