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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

<span>Jess Denman</span> Thu, 07/16/2015 - 09:19
thank you. That was very helpful.
<span>Debra Hawes</span> Tue, 06/16/2015 - 13:48
I live in central Florida. Is it too hot here in the summer to grow parsley?
<span>Danielle Kelly</span> Fri, 06/05/2015 - 13:06
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.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/08/2015 - 16:00

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/search?q=chrysalis%20black%20swallowtail&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=chrysalis%20black%20swallowtail&sc=6-27&sp=-1&sk=

 

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.

 <span>Mario Moraca</span> Sun, 12/07/2014 - 22:58
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.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 12/09/2014 - 10:43

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.

 <span>Joan Kelly</span> Mon, 09/01/2014 - 11:11
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
<span>Tony Boutros</span> Sat, 11/01/2014 - 01:59
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
<span>Karen Melton</span> Tue, 09/02/2014 - 10:52
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.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 09/02/2014 - 09:38

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.