THIS delicious knobbly veg is delicious as a mash, mixed with potato and garlic, or grated in salads, and is much easier to grow than celery. Sow seeds in early spring in pots of seed compost mixed with fine vermiculite. Cover the seed with vermiculite and germinate in a propagator at around 15C (59F).

Once the true leaves have formed, transplant the seedlings into larger pots of multipurpose compost, one plant per pot.

Harden off and plant out at the end of spring or early summer into ground enriched with plenty of organic matter, in full sun or partial shade. Seedlings should be placed 30cm (12in) apart in rows 45cm (18in) apart and watered in. If you don’t have rain, water every five to 10 days and in mid-summer cut off the lower leaves to make the crown more visible. In autumn, draw soil around the stem bases and harvest from mid-autumn to spring, when the celeriac is the size of a small coconut.