Celery should receive a minimum of 5 hours of full sun daily. Aim for 5–7 hours of direct sun during the growing season. This ensures the best possible results from your celery crop. Your celery plants should be shielded from the sun during the hottest part of the day, but for the remaining hours, they will thrive in full sun. Celery also has a better taste the more sun it is exposed to. Make sure it does not become sun-scorched, but make your goal to give your celery up to 7 hours of sun per day.
How Many Hours of Sun Does Celery Need?
Ideally, celery should have 7 hours of sun each day. However, you should get a good harvest with a minimum of 5 hours of direct sunlight. In most cases, up to 8 hours of daily sun is not too much. Therefore, you can be flexible, as long as a minimum of 5 hours of full sunlight is provided.
- Celery should have 7 hours of full sun each day.
- 5 hours of full sun daily is typically enough for a good celery harvest.
- In hot climates, offer your celery some afternoon shade.
Celery is a very slow-growing vegetable. Direct, full sun helps it to reach its fullest potential. Celery is not partial to extremely hot temperatures. So, make sure you protect it from the harsh, afternoon sun if the climate you live in is hot.
Can Celery Grow in Indirect Sunlight?
Celery can grow in direct sunlight, but it will take the plants much longer to mature if no full sun is provided. So, it’s always best to plant your celery where it will receive direct sunlight for several hours each day.
- Celery can survive in indirect sunlight.
- Celery may not mature if grown in indirect sunlight.
- Try to plant your celery where it will receive at least 5 hours of full sun daily.
Because celery is already a slow-growing vegetable, trying to grow it in indirect sunlight may even result in a celery crop that never fully matures. For this reason, it’s better to choose an area that gets at least 5 hours of full sun every day.
Can Celery Grow in Shade?
Celery will not immediately wilt and die in the shade, but your celery plant will not mature. The growing season will likely end before you have full, robust celery stalks. This defeats the purpose of growing celery at all. Celery will also fail to develop its full flavor when sun-deprived. Celery grown in the shade may have a very bitter taste.
- Celery will survive for a while in the shade.
- Celery plants won’t mature if they are kept in the shade.
- Shade-grown celery is bitter and inedible.
This doesn’t mean that celery will not tolerate any shade, however. If you make sure your garden receives some sun and some shade, your celery crop should do just fine. In fact, because celery is not partial to extreme heat, giving it 5–7 hours of sun in the morning, followed by shade in the afternoon, is a perfect combination.
What Happens if Celery Doesn’t Get Enough Sun?
Celery will not mature if it is kept from full sun. Additionally, its flavor will be greatly impacted if it is not exposed to direct sunlight. Even if the plants do mature, the taste will be bland or bitter, rather than the pleasant, mild taste that makes celery such a popular vegetable.
- Celery sometimes won’t mature if it’s not exposed to full sun.
- Celery may have a bland bitter taste if it does not get enough sun.
To avoid these negative outcomes, aim for at least 5 hours of full sun per day, which should be enough to allow the stalks to mature and prevent any flavor loss.
Can Celery Get Too Much Sun?
Celery can suffer from sun overexposure. One of the biggest signs that your celery has too much sun is wilting. In fact, if celery is overexposed to a combination of excessive sunlight, extremely hot temperatures, and a lack of water, it will wilt rapidly. Another sign of overexposure to the sun is unusually thin stalks.
- Celery can get too much sun.
- Breaks in the stems of the celery are signs of too much sun exposure.
- Rotting patches may also appear if celery is overexposed to the sun.
- Celery that’s given too much sun may wilt.
- Stalks may be unnaturally thin if your celery gets too much sun.
Cracked stems, or a problem called “black streak,” are also signs of celery that has been overexposed to the sun. As the name implies, cracked stems are breaks in the stems of the celery. Black streak is evidenced by rotting patches running lengthwise along the celery stalk.
How Much Sun Does Celery Require?
When planting celery, keep the following facts in mind:
- Celery needs 5–7 hours of full sun daily.
- Extra sun exposure will intensify celery’s flavor.
- Celery that receives less than 5 hours of full sun can become bitter.
- Too much sun and heat can cause celery to wilt or crack.
- Protect celery from high heat by planting it where it receives afternoon shade.
Because celery has medium sunlight needs and can be damaged by too much sun, it’s best to plant them in an east-facing bed. Morning sun, followed by afternoon shade contributes to delicious celery.