Growing Parsley
How To Grow Parsley
Learn all you need to know about Growing Parsley. Flat leaf or curled parsley are a must if you like growing herbs.
You can grow a parsley plant as part of your indoor herb garden on your kitchen window-sill or in a pot at the back door.
Both types of parsley are easy to grow in the ground or in containers.
Flat Parsley also called Italian Parsley
Photo: Ryan Snyder
Learning how to grow parsley is not at all difficult, once you have got it started, and parsley is certainly one of the most versatile and useful herbs.
It can be grown in the open ground between other crops in the vegetable garden or even between flowers in a flower bed, since it is a very attractive and
decorative plant. It can be grown in pots on the patio or close to the kitchen door. It can be grown indoors if you don't have a garden, on a sunny
windowsill or a balcony.
And, perhaps best of all, it can be grown at all times of the year provided you can protect it from freezing conditions.
It is a trouble free plant, which is not attacked by pests or diseases.
The Two Types of Parsley Herb: Flat Leaf Or Curly Parsley
You can have either flat leaf parsley or curled parsley. Some people believe that flat leaf parsley has a stronger flavour, but whatever type you
prefer (and you can, of course, grow both) you grow them both exactly the same way.
How To Grow Parsley Plants
As with most plants, parsley likes being in full sun although it will tolerate some shade. If you are growing it indoors, put the pot on a
south-facing windowsill.
Parsley should really be grown as an annual herb with fresh seed being sown every year. It is actually a perennial, which means that it
continues to grow year after year, but from the second year on, it will have a tendency to shoot to seed, growing long coarse stalks that
carry seedheads. Although there will always be some leaves worth picking, on the whole it is better to have young fresh plants each year.
If you are growing parsley in a pot, it is best to fill the pot with a good general compost and add some vermiculite, which you can buy in a
garden centre. Vermiculite is a natural mineral that absorbs water and then releases it gradually to the plant. I also like to choose a deep
pot for parsley plants because they have a long tap root.
In open ground, parsley will grow on almost any soil provided it has been reasonably well dug over and loosened beforehand.
Sowing Parsley Seed
Seed can be sown out of doors from early spring until late summer and sown indoors at any time of the year.
Seed should be sown thinly on the surface of a finely raked soil and lightly pressed into it. The seedbed or pot should then be lightly watered
with a very fine spray. Parsley seed can take up to six weeks to germinate and the soil must be kept moist throughout this period.
For parsley in a pot, cover the pot with a sheet of glass or a polythene bag to keep conditions inside moist. Out of doors it can be helpful to
cover the seeds with some horticultural fleece.
The main point with growing parsley is not to give up after sowing the seed - it may look as if nothing is happening but be patient! Check here for more tips on growing herbs from seeds.
Photo: mrwalker
How To Care For Parsley Plants
Once the parsley seeds have germinated and the little green shoots are big enough to handle, you need to thin out the plants so that they are about an
inch apart.
After that, there is no further care you need take with outdoor plants, apart from keeping it free from weeds.
Indoor plants must be kept reasonably moist. Once the plants are half an inch high, you should no longer water from above, but let them drink up water
by pouring water into the tray the pot stands in. You only need do this once a week, unless the soil seems very dry.
Gardening With Little Miss Greenfingers
Growing Culinary Herbs - Healthy & Delicious
Are you interested in growing culinary herbs? Check out Little Miss Greenfingers Book on Growing Culinary Herbs In Containers! You will find loads
of useful and easy to follow information that will make growing herbs a success for you. This book is available in the
Amazon Kindle Store and on Smashwords. Download now and start growing herbs like a pro!
Here's some of my more great gardening advice pages that might like . . .
Have a look here if you are interested in growing medicinal herbs.
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