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Nan Ling Cutting Celery is an Asian variety prized for its delicate, sweet flavor and tender stalks that deliver the familiar taste central to countless Chinese dishes. This non-GMO cultivar grows upright to 12-18 inches tall and reaches harvest in just 60-69 days, making it one of the quickest celery varieties you can grow. Whether you're harvesting tender microgreens at 30 days or waiting for fully developed plants, this leaf celery rewards you with both stalk and foliage, giving you more of the plant to use in your kitchen.
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Nan Ling Cutting Celery delivers a sweet, delicate flavor that tastes nothing like the assertive celery you might be familiar with from Western supermarkets. Its smaller, more refined stature (12-18 inches) fits easily into containers or tight garden spaces, yet the leaves and stalks are substantial enough to use in volume. The speed to maturity sets it apart, too: you can clip microgreens after just a month, or let plants develop fully in two months, giving you flexibility in how and when you harvest.
Both the stalks and leaves are harvested and used in stir-fries, soups, and broths central to Chinese cuisine. Many gardeners also clip the tender leaves for microgreens after 30 days, using them fresh in salads or as delicate garnishes where their sweet flavor shines. Once the plants fully mature, the entire above-ground portion can be harvested and used, making this a genuinely multi-use crop.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your last spring frost in light, moist seed-starting mix. Celery seeds are tiny and slow to germinate; keep the medium consistently moist and provide warmth (around 70°F) until seedlings emerge. Be patient, as germination can take 2-3 weeks.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date when soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures stay above 50°F. Harden off plants gradually over 7-10 days before moving them to the garden. Space transplants 12 inches apart in rows with 1 inch between rows.
Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring after the last frost date, pressing them gently into moist soil. Keep the seeded area consistently moist until germination; direct-sown celery will mature slightly later than transplants but requires no indoor setup.
Begin harvesting leaves and outer stalks when the plant is 4-6 inches tall, snipping them cleanly at the base. For microgreens, harvest at 30 days when the first true leaves appear and plants are 3-4 inches tall. For fully mature plants, wait 60-69 days (or up to 90 days in cooler conditions) and harvest the entire plant by cutting just above soil level, or continue harvesting individual outer leaves and stalks over time for an extended harvest window.
Harvest outer leaves and stalks regularly once the plant reaches 4-6 inches tall to encourage branching and continued tender growth. This pinching also keeps the plant compact and productive, stimulating it to produce more usable foliage rather than bolting.
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“This variety carries its Chinese name, Kintsai, which reflects its roots in Asian vegetable gardening traditions. Nan Ling Cutting Celery represents a distinct lineage of leaf celery developed and refined in Asian horticultural practice, where the emphasis on tender foliage and delicate flavor diverged from the thick-stalked European celery types that dominate Western gardens. It has been preserved and saved through seed catalogs and growers who value its authentic character in traditional cuisines.”