Celery is the vegetable crop with the highest total nutrient removal and also gives large returns on the investment in fertilizer. A direct-seeded crop in the central-coastal district of California requires approximately six months to mature. Only 2% of the growth and subsequent nutrient removal occurs during the first half of the growth period, while more than 42% of the nutrients were removed during the last month of growth. Good crops of celery grown in this area remove an average of 280 Ib of nitrogen (N), 72 Ib of phosphorus (P), and 635 Ib potassium (K) per acre.