It's an unusual plant, that, as its name suggests, is related to celery. While it has leaves and stems like celery, the main product of this vegetable is the large, round root.

Celeriac certainly won't win any beauty competitions in your vegie garden, and the knobbly bulb can take some work to get the skin off and the dirt out, but it is a really versatile veggie with a great taste.

It can be chopped finely or grated into salads, soups and casseroles for flavouring and vegetable bulk or stir-fried or roasted, and the tops can be used just like celery.

It has a different, delicious taste, a bit like a mix of celery and parsley and when cooked becomes quite sweet rather like sweet potato. It is well worth growing if you haven't already done so, or perhaps grab a bulb from the local fruit shop and try cooking it first.

More gardening with Dar:

Celeriac seeds are tiny and often don't germinate well, so be generous when you are sowing the tiny seeds and only cover them lightly as they need light to germinate. Sow seeds any time from August to December into trays and when they have their first true leaves either plant them into pots or straight into the garden.

Do this while the seedlings are still small and if potting on, use biodegradable pots to help minimise root disturbance which can cause the plants to bolt to seed before the bulbs are a good size.

Plant out in full sun and in well-drained soil, control slugs and keep them well watered. Once your plants are established, mulch to keep the soil moist and to reduce the chance of them drying out and developing a hollow centre.

CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE EMAILS FEATURING THE BEST LOCAL NEWS AND STORIES, AS WELL AS OUR BREAKING NEWS ALERTS

Although broad beans will certainly germinate certainly faster when soil temperatures are around 7OC to 12OC, they can be sown any time now as they will germinate in soil as cold as 5oC. Sow the large seed 3-5 cm deep, 10-15 cm apart, in double rows so you can put a supporting string on either side of the two rows to stop them falling over when they get tall.

Continue planting rocket, chicory, mustard greens, mizuna and a winter variety of lettuce - usually loose leafed lettuce - every 2 to 3 weeks for a continuous supply.

The next meeting of the Armidale Garden Club is on Thursday, August 26 at the Uniting Church Youth Club Hall, commencing at 7pm and everyone is most welcome.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: