Learn how to plant, grow, and harvest parsley in your very own garden.
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Parsley
Planting
Pick a spot that gets full sun (6+ hours of sunlight) and has well-draining soil that’s rich in organic matter. This herb needs more fertile soil than most herbs. Soil pH should ideally be around 6.0—slightly acidic.
Try to also choose an area that is weed-free; it’ll be easier to see the parsley sprouting.
When to Plant Parsley
Parsley seeds can be started indoors or sown directly in the garden. However, the taproot of parsley plants is delicate, so take extra care if transplanting!
- For a head start, plant seeds in individual pots indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date.
- Sow seeds outdoors 3 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost, as parsley is a slow starter.
- For the best germination, soil should be around 70ºF (21°C), though parsley seeds will germinate in temperatures as low as 50ºF (10ºC). Learn how to warm your soil in the spring.
How to Plant Parsley
- The germination rate of parsley seeds tends to be low, so consider soaking the seeds overnight before sowing to improve your chance of success.
- Sow parsley seeds 1/4 inch deep.
- Sow seeds about 6 to 8 inches apart. For larger plants, sow about 8 to 10 inches apart.
- Be sure to keep the soil moist while seeds germinate.
- It can take 2 to 4 weeks for seedlings to appear.
- Tip: Plant radish seeds in the gaps between parsley seeds. The radishes will sprout and grow before the parsley appears, and the radishes will mark the row.
- Indoors, you can use a grow light to help seedlings grow. Make sure it remains at least two inches above the leaves at all times.
Types
- 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
Catherine Boeckmann
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Live in NJ. After spraying for insects with an organic spray, I brought my beautiful Italian parsley plant into the house placing it in a cool hallway with lots of sun. It looks nice and healthy even now in February with minimal foliage loss. I will be taking it outside into the shade probably in May and then after a few weeks will move it to a sunnier location. My Austrian grandmother would tell my mother to plant things when there is no letter "R" in the name of the month and it is something I remember well. Parsley is such a versatile herb.
Can I restart in water to root.
What do you do when parsley flowers?
Pinch off the flowers when they appear in order to prolong the growth of the leafy bits!
My Italian parsley leaves have mutated! Instead of looking like regular parsley leaves the leaves look long and thin. They taste ok. What's wrong?
Definitely cut tops off…if long and leggy this should stimulate growth or side shoots. This happens with cilantro too. Just cut tops off and it will also delay bolting.
Heat and dry soil can cause parsley to become long and thin, but so can leaving it alone (not harvesting it). Trim/harvest it and water generously. Then continue to trim it from time to time. This will cause it to sprout more leaves and maintain vigor.
Generally how many days does it take for the parsley to be ready to harvest?
Parsley is ready to cut or harvest in about 70 to 90 days after planting. You seed packet should list days to maturity for the respective variety.
I’m a person who never understood the appeal of parsley. Fresh parsley has essentially NO flavor to me whatsoever! It’s odd, but I find dried parsley both fragrant and tasty....
