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Planting and Growing Parsley

Learn how to plant, grow, and harvest parsley in your very own garden.

Botanical Name
Petroselinum crispum
Grown as
Biennial
Toxicity
Toxic to Dogs and Cats
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
Under 1 foot
Spread
Under 1 foot
Soil pH
Neutral
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Fragrant
Deer-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Plant Type
Herbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Parsley: it’s not just a pretty garnish anymore! This humble herb pulls double duty—brightening your plate and your garden. 

Whether you’re sprucing up soups or sowing seeds for the first time, parsley is a flavor-packed, foolproof favorite for gardeners of all levels. Let’s dig in!

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, but it’s also good for you; it’s rich in iron and vitamins A and C!

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Native to Mediterranean Europe, the parsley plant (Petroselinum crispum) is a biennial but is usually grown as an annual in home gardens. After the first year, the leaves tend to become more bitter and tough, but the plant will gladly reseed itself in temperate zones.

Planting

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.

Where to Plant Parsley

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.

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 the 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 2 inches above the leaves at all times.

green parsley leaves

Growing

Watering

Be sure to keep parsley plants sufficiently watered, especially through the heat of summer. Push your finger 1 inch into the soil; if it feels dry, it is time to water

Mulching

Lightly mulch around the plants to conserve moisture.

Harvesting

  • When the leaf stems have at least three segments, parsley is ready to be harvested.
  • Cut leaves from the outer stems of the plant whenever you need them. Leave the inner portions of the plant to mature. Ideally, allow 2 to 3 weeks for regrowth between major harvests.
  • If you want fresh parsley throughout the winter, replant a parsley plant in a pot and keep it in a sunny window.

How to Store Parsley

  • 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.

Pests and Problems

  • Aphids
  • Stem rot
  • Leaf spots
  • Carrot fly and celery fly larvae

Parsley is a favorite of black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars as well.

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

Wit and Wisdom

Herbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening, so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 10/18/2017 - 09:15

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.

 <span>Adams Mohammed</span> Tue, 07/04/2017 - 07:55
I love this side make me know about many herbs, thank you and God bless you all
<span>Adam M</span> Mon, 01/16/2017 - 20:45
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?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 01/24/2017 - 12:49

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 1/2 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!

 <span>Keith Garrett</span> Wed, 12/30/2015 - 13:02
After moving my pot of parsley into the shed to stop it getting waterlogged it is now going yellow please any ideas.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 01/04/2016 - 10:26

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.

 <span>Edward Allinger</span> Fri, 06/12/2015 - 16:00
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
<span>Alma Renko</span> Tue, 07/11/2017 - 16:44
How do I stop parsley from flowering?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 01/04/2016 - 10:30

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.

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 06/16/2015 - 16:14

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.