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Growing Parsley
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Parsley
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Parsley
Parsley is a biennial plant with bright green, feather-like leaves and is in the same family as dill. Here’s how to grow parsley in your own garden.
This popular herb is used in sauces, salads, and especially soups, as it lessens the need for salt. Not only is parsley the perfect garnish, it’s also good for you; it’s rich in iron and vitamins A and C.
Planting
- For a head start, plant seeds in individual pots indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the last spring frost. For better germination, you can soak the seeds overnight.
- Plant the seeds 3 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost because parsley is a slow starter. (The plants can handle the cold weather.) It can take up to 3 weeks for the plants to sprout.
- Plant the seeds in moist, rich soil about 6 to 8 inches apart. For thinner plants, plant about 6 to 10 inches apart. Try to pick an area that is weed-free; that way, you’ll be able to see the parsley sprouting after about 3 weeks.
- You can use a fluorescent light to help the seedlings grow. Make sure it remains at least two inches above the leaves at all times.
- To ensure the best growth, the soil should be around 70ºF.
- Plant parsley near asparagus, corn, and tomatoes in your garden.
Care
- Be sure to water the seeds often while they germinate so that they don’t dry out.
- Throughout the summer, be sure to water the plants evenly.
Pests/Diseases
- Stem rot
- Leaf spots
- Black swallowtail larvae
- Carrot fly and celery fly larvae
Harvest/Storage
- When the leaf stems have three segments, parsley is ready to be harvested.
- Cut leaves from the outer portions of the plant whenever you need them. Leave the inner portions of the plant to mature.
- One method of storing the parsley fresh is to put the leaf stalks in water and keep them in the refrigerator.
- Another method of storage is drying the parsley. Cut the parsley at the base and hang it in a well-ventilated, shady, and warm place. Once it’s completely dry, crumble it up and store it in an airtight container.
- If you want fresh parsley throughout the winter, replant a parsley plant in a pot and keep it in a sunny window.
Recommended Varieties
- Flat-leaf varieties: Use in cooking because they have better flavor and are easier to work with than curly-leaf parsley
- Curly-leaf varieties: Use when you want a fancier garnish
Wit & Wisdom
- Add a parsley infusion to bathwater to soothe and cleanse.
- Would you be surprised to know that parsley’s really good for you? Learn why you shouldn’t leave parsley on the plate.
Recipes
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Reader Comments
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Parsley Seeds
My parsley has seeds on it. What steps do I need to do to these seeds to plant them for new plants
saving parsley seeds
Parsley, a biennial, will form seeds the second year. Once the umbels (seedheads) and seeds on it are mostly brown, cut them off the stalks. Don’t wait too long, or the seeds will fall off (shatter). Dry the seeds by placing the umbels on a cloth in a well-ventilated place. Once dry, rub the umbels to remove any remaining seeds that haven’t already fallen onto the cloth. Ripe seeds should be a dark brown. Winnow out any plant debris. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry location for up to 2 to 3 years.
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Thank you
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parsley
I have two parsley plants in containers on my deck. They have proveded prsley for my nieghbours and i for two years. However this year they seem to be prone to growing long stems with few leaves on them. They have full sun and are watered almost daily. I fertilize everything on my deck one a week.
parsley
Parsley is really a biennial and treated as an annual in cooler regions. The second spring after planting, the plant blooms, goes to seed, and then finally gives out. It sounds like your parsley is done. It’s easy to plant new seeds. Also, to keep parsley bushy, be sure to prune. Cut stems at the base of the plant, starting on the outside, to keep it full.
when to plant
Can you plant parsley in the fall?
Parsley
Hi Steve,
Parsley is a perennial, but it would need to grow significantly to be able to grow back the following spring. So no, it’s not recommended to plant parsley in the fall. You can plant it indoors with assisted grow lights, however.
Tnxs
I love this side make me know about many herbs, thank you and God bless you all
Parsley leaves look a bit funny
I have a parsley plant that I'm growing indoors under full spectrum fluorescent lights with artificial soil. I'm feeding with a liquid organic fertilizer. The seeds are for dark green Italian flat leaf parsley, but the leaves on my parsley are more of a light green. Some of the leaves have a strange wrinkly appearance (not like curly parsley) to them and are thin feeling compared to the Italian parsley I'm used to. The temperature in the room is about 18 to 20 degrees C. The plant looks otherwise quite healthy. Any idea what this might be?
parsley trouble
Hmm. That is a puzzle. Weak growth might indicate not enough light, or not enough nutrients. It sounds like your plant has those, but you might check if you can increase the light a bit (set the lights about 6 or so inches above the plant), and make sure that the plant is getting a balanced diet. Also, you might try increasing the temperature a degree or so (such as 21 C). You might also try increasing the humidity, such as setting it on a tray of pebbles ½ filled with water (make sure pot does not touch the water). Check for any pests that may be hiding under leaves or on stems, and watch for any spots or discoloring that may indicate a disease. Hope this helps!
currly parsley
After moving my pot of parsley into the shed to stop it getting waterlogged it is now going yellow please any ideas.
yellowing parsley
Parsley can turn yellow for several reasons. If the soil was already waterlogged, it may mean that the roots need to dry out. Your plant may have developed a disease due to the moist conditions, such as crown rot. If the disease progresses, you may need to discard the plant. Do not water until the soil is semi-dry. Water sparingly for a while, only at the base; provide good air circulation and sunlight; and avoid abrupt changes in temperature. Hopefully, the plant will recover. Also check for signs of insects, which may have been drawn to the sickly plant.
I had a baeutiful parsley
I had a baeutiful parsley plant with reach deep green leaves, but now maybe after 12 months it began flowering and is now dying. how can i stop the plant from producing flowers, or do i have to renew it each year?thank you
I live in central Florida. Is
I live in central Florida. Is it too hot here in the summer to grow parsley?
Parsley is technically a
Parsley is technically a biennial plant so it grows in its first season and then sends up flowers its second season. Therefore, parsley is usually treated as an annual and is pulled up and discarded after one year. Once parsley starts to flower, it is setting seed and dies.
One tip to help parsley last longer: Do not just harvest and clip off the tops. When you harvest, snip the stalks close to the ground. That way, new growth is encouraged throughout the pruning season.
thank you. That was very
thank you. That was very helpful.
flowering parsley
Parsley is a biennial, which means that it will produce leaves the first year, then flower the second year, set seed, and die. Unfortunately, that sounds like what yours is doing. Since once the plant starts flowering, the flavor of the leaves suffers, many gardeners treat parsley as an annual and just replant each year.
Parsley plant is producing flowers
How do I stop parsley from flowering?
Hi, so I have a big beautiful
Hi, so I have a big beautiful parsley plant however little black pods started showing up at the top of my plant, and soon after ants began covering the tops as well. Is there a reason for this and what do I do? my plant is also flowering so my harvest season is over.
I'm not sure what the pods
I'm not sure what the pods might be. I'm guessing that these are smaller than the inch-long chrysalis of the eastern black swallowtail, right? Those caterpillars like to munch parsley, and may pupate there, emerging as a butterfly later on.
https://www.bing.com/images/se...
Perhaps another possibility is that these little black pods are actually aphids, such as black aphids. Aphids are pear-shape and can look like pods, with tiny legs. Are the pods gathered along the stems and undersides of leaves? Usually, aphids don't move much, as they are all busy drinking sap, but if you disturb them, they will sometimes move slowly. While they drink sap, they excrete a sticky substance called honeydew. This substance are a favorite of ants, and sometimes ants will defend the aphids in order to have a supply of this honeydew. Honeydew can also develop sooty mold. If these turn out to be aphids, then you can spray them with a strong spray of water to knock them off. Repeat every few days.
About 6 weeks ago I brought 3
About 6 weeks ago I brought 3 parsley containers indoors to continue growing it. I have some sunlight but mostly fluorescent light.
The plants are growing well. One plant did develop some aphids which I sprayed with Sevin. The aphids died. Now I am noticing some oblong white specks on the leaves. They don't seem to move, although they are spreading to the other plants. I have not used or eaten any of the new growth. In the center of the main stalk there is more growth, which is very deep green.
What am I up against with these little white devils? Is this parsley still edible? Your help would be appreciated very much.
You may have leaf spot which
You may have leaf spot which is maybe fungal disease. It can be treated with a fungicide made for edibles.We suggest removing the affected leaves, putting the plants in an area with good air circulation and watering so that leaves don't get wet.
my last parsley plant was
my last parsley plant was covered with catapillars who eventually ate all the parsley, I am about to plant another parsley, any suggestions to keep this from happening again. Thanks
The caterpillar/s was an
The caterpillar/s was an early stage in the formation of the Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly, an important pollinator. Plants in the carrot family—including parsley, dill, fennel, and Queen Anne's Lace (in the wild) as well as carrots—are its desirable host, and it eats only these, which contain furanocoumarins (chemicals in the seed coat). Some sources say that "infestations" of the larva are uncommon.
You could plant one or more of the hosts as an alternate lure. Or plant more parsley so as to have enough later. Or try row/plant cover, to keep the plants from becoming hosts.
We hope this helps.
Caterpillars
I always have the caterpillar problem with dill and cilantro. I read if you crumble eggshells around the base of the plant the caterpillars (or even slugs) don't like crawling over the shells because it hurts their bellies. I tried it and this is the first year I havent had one caterpillar!
They were most likely black
They were most likely black swallowtail caterpillars. Butterflies lay their eggs on specific host plants that the caterpillars are adapted to eat. In the case of black swallowtails, host plants are those in the carrot family, such as carrot, parsley, dill, rue and fennel. If you wish to support this beautiful butterfly, consider planting more parsley than you need for yourself, or covering some of the plants with netting. Also consider planting multiple BS host plants so the eggs don't all get laid on your parsley.
I found that when the soil is
I found that when the soil is high in nutrition no bugs will attack your garden, it is called high brix gardening, get the book called Soil Dead or Alive, is your food your medicine or your poison from amazon a lot of great info in it
My parsley is a beautiful
My parsley is a beautiful green when it's growing, but when I hang it up to dry it turns yellow. Any ideas?
Parsley turning yellow when it dries
I don't see an answer to carl d on August 29, 2014. My question is - Can it still be used when it is yellow when it is dried??
Thank you.
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