by Jennifer Poindexter
Are you interested in adding celery to your garden plot? Do you know which plants tend to grow best near celery and which do not?
There’s a lot of things to consider when planting a garden. Which plants get along (or are companion plants) is an important tidbit of information.
If you don’t know which plants are companions for celery, I’m going to fill you in. I’ll also share which plants celery should avoid.
Here are celery’s companion plants.
Herbs That Grow Well with Celery
Herbs are a great companion to celery. If you’ve never considered adding celery to your herb garden or growing herbs in your vegetable garden, maybe these suggestions will change your mind.
Herbs produce strong odors that keep both large and small pests away from your plants. Not only will they keep insects at bay, but some herbs are disliked by both rabbits and deer. This is important as these larger pests can be quite the threat to your celery crop.
Plus, they draw pollinators into your growing area. As if this isn’t enough to grow herbs with your celery, taller herb varieties can even provide shade to celery. This is important as this crop enjoys cool weather.
Here are the herbs which grow well around celery:
Do be mindful when growing the herbs as some of them have a reputation for taking over a growing space. Therefore, ensure you choose the correct gardening method to receive the benefits of these plants and avoid the few cons they may have.
Garden Favorites That Grow Well with Celery
We are going to discuss a few basic types of vegetables throughout this article. However, in this section, I’m going to point out some of the favorite crops typically grown in the garden which serve well as a companion plant to celery.
1. Legumes
The first crops to consider growing near celery are legumes. This includes crops such as bush beans, lentils, green peas, and even chickpeas.
It’s a two-way street when growing these plants near celery. The legumes are known as nitrogen-fixers. What this means is they have bacteria which forms on their roots.
This bacteria starts a process which allows the plant to draw nitrogen from the air and change it into a substance that is easily absorbed by the plants.
Therefore, they add more nitrogen to the soil. Why is this a good thing for celery? Well, celery loves nitrogen. It’s great for celery to grow near plants that can literally grab it from the air and inject it into the soil.
On the other hand, celery is also great for legumes as it deters whiteflies which sometimes impact these crops.
2. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are another gardening favorite which grows well around celery. Cucumber plants can grow larger and even be trained to grow up a trellis.
This is helpful to the celery as this can provide some shade to the plant to extend its growing season. However, cucumber plants get something in return. The celery plant protects the cucumbers from pests, especially white flies.
3. Spinach and Swiss Chard
Spinach and Swiss chard both enjoy growing during early spring when the weather is above freezing but hasn’t grown especially hot.
This is also the type of growing conditions that celery enjoys. All of these plants enjoy consistently damp soil that’s high in nutrients and well-draining.
They also all enjoy a minimum of six hours of sunlight. Therefore, these are all wonderful companion plants because they can grow in similar conditions and thrive.
4. Tomatoes
Tomatoes and celery make a good pair because they also have similar needs from their growing space. Both plants enjoy full sunlight and high-quality soil.
However, celery does enjoy more water than tomatoes. The upside to planting these two together, though their water intake is a little different, is celery needs shade in the hottest portion of the day to extend its growing season.
Therefore, tomatoes make a wonderful companion as they provide the shade celery desires.
Brassica Crops Which Grow Well with Celery
Brassica crops are the cool-weather Cole crops many of us enjoy. If you love the vegetables from the brassica family and celery, you’ll be glad to know they get along well in the garden.
Celery serves more as the protector of the brassica vegetables. It helps deter many pests including the white cabbage moth that can do serious damage to your brassica harvest.
The brassica crops which grow best with celery are:
Be sure to watch your spacing between celery and any brassica vegetables. Some, such as the turnip, need more room to form. You don’t want to decrease either crop’s harvest when companion planting.
Allium Crops Which Grow Well with Celery
Allium crops tend to grow well around celery. The reason being is they offer protection to the celery plant on all levels.
To start, these vegetables release a substance into the soil that deters pests which attack from beneath the ground.
However, they’re also known for deterring pests above the soil as well. For instance, aphids tend to avoid allium crops.
As if this isn’t enough, allium crops also improve the taste of celery by making it have a sweeter flavor at the time of harvest.
The allium plants you should grow near celery are:
Flowers That Grow Well with Celery
Companion plants aren’t only edible crops. You may also plant things for enjoyment near your celery plants that will also protect them.
One way of doing this is picking select flowers as a companion to celery. Though you won’t eat them, they can certainly add some charm to your growing space.
Flowers make a wonderful companion plant for celery because of the scents brought to the table. They produce smells that are known for deterring worms, aphids, and flea beetles.
Some flowers actually attract aphids to themselves to be sacrificed in the place of celery plants. Along with deterring pests, flowers also attract pollinators which can increase your harvest.
Here are flowers which make a great companion to celery:
Plants to Avoid Growing Near Celery
I can’t leave you all with the information of things that will benefit (or be benefited) by growing near celery and not share the plants which should be avoided.
Some plants either have different growing conditions, produce substances that can harm each other if planted nearby, or draw similar pests to the garden.
Therefore, they should be kept away from each other to give both plants a chance to thrive. The plants which shouldn’t be planted near celery are:
Hopefully this information will help you plan your garden with success. The idea is to keep plants near each other that can benefit one another. Therefore, providing a larger harvest for you.
However, you must also consider the plants which don’t work well together to ensure they don’t hinder each other’s success during the growing season.
Before growing celery, be sure to take the time to thoroughly research the many growing methods. You should also take your planting zone into consideration as this can drastically impact when and where you plant this vegetable.
Companion planting is a great way to protect your crops by strategically placing them in your garden plot. Take the tips provided here into consideration before you begin planting celery around your home or garden.
More About Growing Celery
https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/celery-in-the-garden
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/sceneb528.html
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