Introduction to Top 13 and Best Celery Companion Plants, Requirements and Tips for Growing Celery: Companion plants repel pest insects, attract beneficial pollinators, give support and shade, improve soil, discourage weeds, and save moisture. Companion planting, also known as good neighbour planting, enhances the homestead garden by adding colour, smell, balance, harmony, and health.
Certain plants grow well in a garden bed with celery, while others will limit your output, according to experts. While individual outcomes may vary, for celery companion plants, you’ll want to choose plants that grow well with celery.
A Step By Step Guide to 13 Celery Companion Plants, Celery Growing Tips and Basic Requirements
Celery Companion Plants Table
| Plant | Good companions | Bad companions |
| Celery | Brassicas, Tomatoes, Beans, Daisies, Antirrhinums, Leeks, Spinach, Dill, Tansy, Coriander, Basil, Sage, and Hyssop | Potatoes, Sweet corn, Parsley, Carrots, Turnips, and Parsnips |
Basic Requirements for Growing Celery
- Suitable soil for growing celery
Celery prefers an alkaline soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Limestone, when added to acidic soil, reduces acidity. Choose a container that is at least 8 inches deep and long enough to accommodate 10 inch spacing between successive celery plants.
- Sunlight requirement for growing celery
Celery is not frost-hardy, so it is better to choose a variety that suits your climate — and start planting early. It usually prefers full sun, but part shade will suffice.
To thrive, the celery plant will need at least six hours of full sun (or partial sun) each day.
- Water requirement for growing celery
It requires about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. Celery will wilt and even become especially stringy if it doesn’t get enough moisture to survive.
- Suitable fertilizer for growing celery
Celery can’t stand any form of drought. The flavour of the celery will be harmed if the ground isn’t kept constantly moist. You’ll also need to fertilize your plant regularly to keep up with the celery plant’s nutrient requirements.
Celery usually requires soil that has been amended with good compost. With a help of a garden fork or tiller, you need to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. 2 to 4 inches of aged manure and/or compost need to be incorporated into the soil. Alternately, use a 5-10-10 fertilizer.
Celery Growing Tips, and Techniques
In case if you miss this: Kale Companion Plants.
Celery thrives in nutrient-rich, medium-textured mineralized soils that have been liberally amended with organic matter. Add well-aged herbivore manure to the soil (e.g. cow, sheep, goat, horse, or llama.) The addition of peat moss to the soil helps to retain moisture.
Turn over the soil to a depth of at least 18 inches while preparing a garden area for celery growing, breaking up dirt clods and removing rocks, roots, and debris. Peat moss, well-aged manure or garden compost, and landscaping sand are mixed in equal parts. Work them into the soil thoroughly.
Celery thrives in soil that has a pH of 6 to 6.5. After you’ve finished preparing the garden plot, check the pH of the soil and make any necessary adjustments. Soil pH testing kits can be found online or at local home and garden stores, or you can send a soil sample to your county extension office for analysis. If your soil sample indicates that the soil is too acidic, boost the pH with a large amount of wood ash or liming manure.
Celery demands a lot of water and does best in a garden plot where a drip irrigation system can be set up. Celery stalks will be stiff, stunted, and bitter if they do not receive enough moisture.
Top 13 Companion Plants to Grow With Celery (Good Companions)
Companion plants for celery can easily help repel pests, protect the plant from soil-borne fungal diseases, and even attract important pollinators.
- Brassicas
The cabbage white butterfly caterpillar is the most troublesome pest for brassica plants. The cabbage whites will be kept at bay if celery is grown alongside members of the brassica family. It’s unclear whether the celery repels the cabbage whites or if the celery aroma masks the brassicas.
- Tomatoes
Both of these plants thrive in nutrient-rich soil; the only difference is that tomatoes require less water than celery. Celery, on the other hand, like to be shaded during the hottest portion of the day, which tomatoes planted nearby may give.
- Beans
Beans are excellent companion plants for celery, and because beans fix nitrogen in the air, there will be sufficient in the soil for the celery. In the heat, the bean plants will also provide shade for the celery.
- Daisies
Daisy is a flower that attracts a large number of pollinators, keeping pests away from your celery plants.
- Leeks
Celery and leeks thrive in similar environments, and the leeks will shield the celery against leaf miners. The strong perfume created by the leeks fools this parasite, and it seeks out other plants to attack. The celery will benefit from the shade provided by the leeks as they grow bigger.
- Spinach
Another great pairing, these two benefit from a lot of moisture because spinach will bolt if it dries out. On the other hand, they both require at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
- Antirrhinums
Antirrhinums, often known as snapdragons, will attract a lot of bees and other pollinators to your garden, which will keep pests away.
- Dill
Allow this plant to flower to attract a variety of beneficial insects such as bees and hoverflies.
- Tansy
This plant can reach a height of 6 feet or 180cm and will shade the celery as it grows, but it will also attract a variety of helpful insects.
- Coriander
In warmer weather, this plant will quickly go to seed, which is excellent because it will attract a lot of beneficial insects. Coriander (cilantro) has a pungent odour that will hide your celery from celery leaf miners.
- Basil
Another strong-smelling herb comes from dry, arid regions but has adapted well to life in the Western world. Allow basil to flower to attract a variety of beneficial pollinators, including bees and hoverflies, to your garden. Many pests will be kept at bay by the considerable traffic created by these pollinators.
- Hyssop
Another member of the mint family, this herb has a strong, pleasant perfume that will mask the celery and bring a slew of beneficial companions to your garden. It prefers dry, chalky soil, but will grow well as a celery companion.
- Sage
Although sage dislikes soggy, moist soil, it will thrive in free-draining soil and will protect your celery from a variety of pests. Sage also provides ground cover, which helps to keep weeds at bay.
What Not To Grow With Celery (Bad Companions)
Not all plants are compatible with celery; six plants should be avoided at all costs.
- Potatoes
Celery has a shallow root system and can stay in the ground for a long period. Celery roots will be disturbed and possibly injured during potato harvesting.
Potatoes and celery both require a lot of resources, and if planted together, they would struggle.
- Sweet corn
Another one with no proof, however, it’s possible that sweet corn comes from rather arid places while celery comes from the opposite type of soil. Sweet corn is also a nutrient-hungry plant that would deplete the celery of important nutrients.
- Parsley
If allowed to flower, it’s a fantastic plant for attracting beneficial pollinators, but not near celery. Planting celery and parsley together will likely attract pests that may destroy your celery plants.
- Carrots
Another reason not to plant celery with them is the harvesting issue. Lifting carrots, which have long taproots, could cause celery plants’ roots to be disrupted. The smell of carrots is also particularly appealing to the carrot root fly, which is also fond of celery root.
- Turnips
This is a root plant that must be harvested well before the celery is ready. The celery would be harmed, if not killed, by the root disruption.
- Parsnips
This root vegetable remains a long time in the soil, and like the other two, it attracts the same pests that attack celery, such as the carrot root fly.
Frequently Asked Questions about Celery Companion Plants
What can’t you grow with celery?
Planting celery near parsley, parsnips, turnips, or carrots is a bad idea. These plants are battling it out for the same nutrients and water. They are not the most pleasant of neighbours.
When planting celery, how far apart should the plants need to be spaced?
Celery seeds can be started indoors in seed pots and transplanted outdoors with 10 to 12 inches between plants in the ground or raised garden beds. You may need to gently bind stalks together with garden twine as they grow and spread to keep them compact.
Does celery regrow after being cut?
In the case of celery, the plant will regenerate from the roots and then produce new stalks. You can pick simply the stalks at that time or pull the entire plant up, use the stalks, and then replant the base. Cut the bottom root from the stalks, about 2 to 3 inches, to start re-growing celery (5 to 8cm.).
Is it possible to transplant celery seedlings?
To produce crisp, delicious stalks, celery requires a long chilly season and plenty of moisture. Celery may resist minor frosts for a short time, but heat kills the plants, so transplant them two or three weeks before the final forecast frost.
Is it possible to grow celery in a container?
Usually, the summer celery plant has proven to be an outstanding container growing vegetable. In a 12-inch or 30cm wide plastic pot, one celery plant will grow satisfactorily, or even numerous plants can be grown together in planters built from plastic storage bins (use the lid as a watering tray).
How do you harvest celery plant so that it continues to grow?
Cut stalks as needed if you don’t need the entire plant. The plant will continue to produce new stalks if you only trim the stalks you just need. Individual stalks should be harvested from the outside in.
A knife can be used to cut individual stalks of the plant or the entire plant.