Sustainable means using what you have to make more

Composting plays a big role in what we do here at the farm.  We are shredding paper to add to our garden bed mulch for the year.  This turns garbage into something to help our plants.  We are also trying to take care before the thing reaches the compost bin.  If we can add a reuse of another recyclable container, well, we have a win win situation.

Celery is really difficult to grow from seed, particularly in the southwest.  Celery contains about 95% water, so the plant does not like to be dried out. It doesn't like heat, needs lots of water, it is a fickle plant. They say start your seeds inside 10-12 weeks before you want to transplant outdoors!  That means if I start in Feb, we are to May and our heat starts May to June.   I'll try again this fall in the greenhouse, but in the mean time, I have three celery plants started.  The market in Cruces had organic celery the last couple of times I went shopping.  I got a stalk for $.80-1.29.  We used the celery in soup, as appetizers and in a few recipes. After we used the majority of the stalk in cooking, we cut the rest to start the new plant.
Start by cutting a plastic container in half.  We used a Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix bottle and cut at the top of the label and a juice that we cut about 1 inch down from the taper.  We were looking to be able to have the top sit inside the bottom but not have the opening of the top touch at the bottom of the set up.  We used three different bottles.  The Rectangular bottle worked the best because the celery did not sit low and the whole thing fits together pretty well.
Next, the bottom of the celery stalk is cut off about 1 inch from the bottom of the celery.
Place the cut celery in the neck and fill bottom with water, just to the bottom of the container.  In a few short days, you'll start to see regeneration of the celery.  The right side is 1 week old, the left side is about 3 weeks.

Top view of the two.

Celery from seed to serve is usually about 5-6 months.  After just three weeks, our holiday celery is green and has 3 inch long stalks started.  This aquaponic method will have some compost tea added to it in about a week.

Why organic celery?  Some foods are treated with pesticides and fungicides and/or are hybrid plants and may not regenerate as easily as others.  Organics have not been treated and usually grow very easily.  (older plants may not regenerate, even if organic).