Are you struggling to grow celery in your garden? Do you wish to boost your celery’s productivity? Then this article is a must-read for you! Through Celery companion planting, you can easily do all of this.
By planting specific crops alongside your celery, you can create a thriving ecosystem in your garden that benefits all plants involved. It will improve soil quality, provide natural pest control, and make celery tastier. In this article, we will check out the top celery companion plants you can grow to get the full potential of your garden.
Top Benefits of Celery Companion Plantation
Celery is a tasty vegetable that is packed with nutrients. It also makes a great crop companion. It can help strengthen the soil, ward off pests, and even improve the growth and flavor of nearby plants when grown with the right plants. The top advantages of celery companion planting will be discussed in this section, along with how implementing this strategy into your garden will help you produce a healthier and more abundant harvest.
1. Nutrient Sharing
Companion planting can help share nutrients with celery and improve the overall health and productivity of the plant. For example, planting beans or peas near celery can fix nitrogen in the soil, which can benefit the celery plants.
2. Pest Control
Many companion plants can help to repel pests that can damage celery, such as aphids, spider mites, and cabbage worms. For example, if you plant marigolds and nasturtiums around celery, it can help to repel pests and protect the plants.
3. Attracting Beneficial Insects
Many companion plants can attract beneficial insects, such as bees and ladybugs, which can help to pollinate celery and other plants and control pest populations.
4. Soil Improvement
A few companion plants can also help improve soil health and structure, benefiting celery and other plants in the garden. For example, plant oregano or thyme can help break up compacted soil and add organic matter to the soil.
5. Enhancing Flavor
Some companion plants can improve celery’s flavor, making it tastier and more nourishing. For example, planting herbs like parsley or cilantro near celery can help to enhance its flavor.
Best Plants to Grow With Celery
Growing celery with other plants helps increase soil health, keep pests away, and boost flavor. Choosing the right plants to grow with celery can help create a healthy and sustainable garden. We have discussed 10 Best Companion plants for celery in this section. Each has benefits, from improving soil health to deterring pests and more! Let’s have a quick look at them.
1. Leeks
First on our list is leeks. Leeks are known to be an excellent companion plant for celery as they have a similar growing season. So you can plant them at the same time. Leeks also have a different scent than celery which can confuse and deter pests attracted to the smell of celery. Also, leeks have a shallow root system and will not compete with celery for nutrients. Now that’s fantastic because celery requires a lot of nutrients to grow properly.
2. Spinach
Spinach makes a good companion with celery for numerous reasons. Spinach helps conserve the moisture content in the soil, which will benefit celery as it requires consistent moisture. Also, spinach has a shallow root system, so that it won’t compete with celery for nutrients. Spinach can also improve soil quality as it is a green leafy vegetable. It also attracts beneficial insects to your garden, improving pollination.
3. Cabbage
Cabbage, a member of the brassica family, is a popular vegetable grown. But planting it with celery will help grow cabbage as it can repel cabbage moths which constitute a significant threat to cabbage and can attack your plant’s leaves if you don’t check it in time. Also, cabbage has shallow roots that can help to break up hard soil and improve soil structure. It can help to create a healthy environment for your celery plants to grow and thrive.
4. Marigold
Marigold is another companion plant to celery. It repels pests like nematodes, which can harm celery plants. Marigold has deep tap roots, which can help to break up hard soil and improve soil structure. It also adds nutrients to the soil and creates a healthy environment for your celery plants to grow. Marigolds also attract beneficial insects to your garden by producing brightly colored flowers.
5. Beans
Beans are excellent companion plants to celery. Beans can fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. It can benefit celery to get enough nitrogen to grow properly. When beans fix nitrogen into the soil, they also add organic matter and other nutrients that can help to improve soil structure. In turn, celery helps to repel bean beetles and whiteflies and protects beans. Not just beans but all legumes are capable of nitrogen fixation. Also, beans have a deep root system, so they don’t compete with celery for nutrients.
6. Nasturtiums
Next on our list is Nasturtiums. It is an excellent celery companion plant, as nasturtiums are known for repelling pests like aphids, whiteflies, and cabbage loppers. Also, they attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies from brightly colored flowers. Nasturtiums have shallow roots. So they won’t compete with celery for nutrients. Also, this plant is easy to grow and an excellent trap crop as it attracts aphids away from celery plants. Finally, Nasturtiums are edible and can add flavor and color to your salads or other dishes.
7. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are heavy feeders and require a lot of nutrients, whereas celery is a light feeder and does not require many nutrients. Both these plants enjoy afternoon heat, and partial shade is also something that both of them relish. In a way, they complement each other. It is also known to repel harmful pests like aphids and whiteflies. In turn, celery can also repel a few insects, which can help tomatoes grow healthy. But make sure you plant them in separate rows or sections, as they have different growing requirements.
8. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are good companion plants to celery for a variety of reasons. Celery grows taller than cucumbers, and cucumbers are climbing plants, so it uses the celery stalks as a trellis to climb up, which will not harm the production of either. Also, cucumbers can offer shade and reduce celery’s heat stress during hot summers. In turn, celery can protect cucumber plants from pests like whiteflies. Cucumbers also add a fair bit of ground cover to protect the soil.
9. Onions
Onions are known to be good companion plants for celery as they have complementary growing requirements and benefit each other in numerous ways. Also, onions have shallow root systems, whereas Celery has deeper roots. So they won’t compete with others for nutrition. Also, an onion’s pungent aroma can deter pests, carrot flies, and aphids, thus preventing damage to celery.
10. Oregano
You can easily grow oregano as a companion plant with celery. Among the significant benefits you get by doing so is that Oregano is known to repel some pests that can harm celery plants. The strong fragrance of oregano can keep away harmful pests. It can also improve soil health and nutrient availability for celery. Oregano can also enhance the flavor of celery. Lastly, oregano can also attract beneficial insects to the garden, such as bees and butterflies, which can help to pollinate the celery plants
Bad Companion Plants for Celery
Some of the plants can prove to be bad companions to celery. When these plants are planted alongside celery they can attract pests, compete for resources, or even stunt the growth of your celery plants. In this section, we will check out some bad companion plants for celery and how they can negatively impact the growth and productivity of your garden.
1. Carrots
Carrots have long and deep roots to absorb nutrients from the soil and store them in carbohydrates for the next growing season. Also, carrots and celery are root vegetables that require similar nutrients from the soil. Planting them together can result in competition for these nutrients, reducing both plants’ growth and yield. Also, carrots and celery belong to the same family, which can result in the same pests and diseases.
2. Corn
Next on our list is corn which is a heavy feeder plant that can compete with celery for nutrients and resources. Celery plants require full sun to thrive, and planting them in the shade of taller plants can result in stunted growth and reduced yields. Along with this, the tall stalks of corn can shade out the celery plants and make it difficult for them to receive adequate sunlight.
3. Potatoes
Potatoes are known to be heavy feeders that require a lot of nutrients from the soil. When planted together, they can compete for nutrients and water, which can even stun the growth of celery plants. They are also susceptible to several pests and diseases, such as potato blight, which can affect celery plants. Planting them together can make achieving the ideal soil conditions for both plants challenging.
4. Turnips
Turnips are another plant that you should avoid planting next to celery. The reason is that when you harvest carrots and potatoes or any other root vegetables, they can damage the celery plants. Also, they generally have different soil conditions where celery prefers soil rich in organic matter, whereas turnips prefer loose soil. Planting them together can make achieving the ideal soil conditions for both plants difficult.
Conclusion
So now that we know which companion plants are for Celery, it’s time to wrap up. Celery is a versatile and healthy vegetable that can profit from companion planting with many other plants. Companion planting can offer several benefits to celery, such as improving soil health, deterring pests and diseases, and promoting better growth and yield.
But make sure you avoid a few plants that you should plant next to celery. It can be challenging to create the right growing circumstances for both crops because these plants can compete with one another for nutrients, attract similar insects and illnesses, and have differing ideal soil requirements.