'Golden Pascal' Celery

Apium graveolens Origin: France Improvement status: Cultivar Seeds per packet: ~200 Germination tested 11/2024: 90% Life cycle: Biennial This old French heirloom is considered one of the best celery varieties for fall or winter use. Stalks grow 18-20” tall, with ribs getting almost round at the top but flattening out at the bottom. Leaves provide a bushy canopy (good for weed suppression). To achieve the classic "golden" yellow color of this variety, plants must be "blanched" starting a few weeks before harvest. Plants are tied up and wrapped in newspaper, or soil is mounded up around base of tied-up plants. Some people grow celery in trenches to make this process easier. The resulting celery is said to be sweeter and less bitter. Both stem and heart are tender and delicious, with little to no strings. The 1913 Livingston Seed Co. catalog says about Giant Pascal Celery, "The best of this class. Forms solid, crisp stalks of incomparable flavor. Of strong growth, producing perfectly bla