Parsley

Parsley is a garden hero! It's super easy to grow, packed with flavour, and a real workhorse in the kitchen. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned gardener, adding a parsley plant to your garden or window box is a great idea. Let’s get into how to grow this wonderful herb.

Summary: Growing Parsley

Parsley is easy to grow from parsley seeds sown outdoors from March to August, ensuring a continuous supply of leaves. Choose a sunny or partially shaded spot with well-drained soil. Thin out seedlings to 15cm apart, water regularly, and feed during the growing season. Harvest by picking outer sprigs and replace plants every year for best flavor. Watch out for slugs and snails, but otherwise, parsley is a pretty low-maintenance herb, you can even grow parsley indoors if the conditions are right. Both types of parsley: curly and flat-leaf, offer great flavour, with flat-leaf having a stronger taste.

All About Parsley

Parsley is a biennial herb, but it's usually grown as an annual. This means that it completes its life cycle over two years, but we tend to plant it and harvest the leaves for one year, then replace it the following year. It has a fresh, slightly peppery flavour and it's packed full of nutrients – so that's a parsley benefit right there! You’ll find it's a versatile herb used in everything from salads and sauces to stews and soups. There are two main types of parsley: curly parsley, which has crinkly leaves, and flat-leaf parsley (also known as Italian parsley), which is considered to have a stronger flavour. Both are easy to grow, so pick whichever you prefer.

Getting Started with Parsley

The best way to start growing parsley is from parsley seeds. You can either sow them directly into the ground outdoors or start them off indoors in pots or modules. Sowing parsley outdoors directly is usually best, but indoor starts give them a head start. For a continuous supply, sow your parsley seeds from March to August.

Planting Parsley

If sowing outdoors, prepare your soil by making shallow drills about 1cm deep and 15cm apart. Sow the seeds thinly, cover them with soil, and water well. If starting indoors, sow a few seeds into each pot or module. Once the seedlings are big enough to handle, transplant them into the garden after the last frost. When the seedlings are up, thin them out to about 15cm apart to give them room to grow. Parsley enjoys a spot with well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. This makes it a good candidate for a patio or balcony container garden.

Parsley Care

Parsley care is pretty straightforward. Water your parsley plant regularly, especially during dry spells, and feed it with a high-potassium liquid parsley fertilizer during the growing season. A weekly feed will keep your parsley leaves looking vibrant and tasty.

Harvesting Parsley

Harvesting parsley is easy - just snip off sprigs from the outside of the plant as you need them. Regular harvesting will encourage new growth, giving you a constant supply of fresh leaves. It’s best to replace your plants every year for the best flavour, but letting some plants flower in the second year will attract beneficial pollinators to your garden and the flowers are also edible.

Parsley Pests and Problems

Parsley is pretty resilient but watch out for slugs and snails, especially when the plants are young. You can protect your plants with copper tape or crushed eggshells. It can also get a few other pests, but generally, this is not a huge problem for garden parsley.

Parsley Indoors or Outdoors

Whether you choose to grow parsley indoors or parsley outdoors, the basic care remains the same. Indoors you'll just need a sunny windowsill and a regular watering and feeding schedule. Outdoors, it's happiest in well-drained soil in a sunny or partially shaded spot. You might also want to consider the parsley companion planting rules - it's best to keep it away from mint as mint can be invasive.

So, there you have it! Growing your own parsley is simple, rewarding, and adds fresh flavour to your cooking. Happy gardening!