Parsley, flat-leafed or curly-leafed, it is everywhere!
·
0
Very fragrant the moment the leaves are rustled, parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a biennial reaching 10 to 24 inches, grown to flavour mixed salads, omelets and dishes with gravy. Break the soil up well before sowing, since compact soil is detrimental to its roots, and you can cut leaves one at a time all year round.
Parsley at a glance
Name
Petroselinum crispum
Family
Apiaceae (parsley family)
Height
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm)
Exposure
Full sun, part sun
Soil
Rich and light
Harvest
All year round
From planting or preparing seedlings all the way to the harvest, here is how to care for parsley.
Generally speaking, sowing parsley outdoors is considered possible as soon as February in the South and March in the North.
Planting parsley
If you purchase your parsley in pots, plan to re-pot it quickly in a larger pot or transplant it directly in the ground after buying.
This guarantees that the plant can develop in the best possible environment.
Sowing parsley
Parsley can be sown directly in the soil at the end of winter, during spring and summer.
If you fear that deep frost spells might occur, it is best to protect your seedlings with a cold frame, a tunnel greenhouse or horticultural fleece.
Break the soil up well, since compact soil is detrimental to parsley root systems.
Dig ridges 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) apart.
Bury seeds about ½ to 1 inch (1 to 2 cm) deep and cover with soil mix.
Water regularly with a fine drizzle until seeds sprout, which can take up to 3 weeks.
As soon as the plants have formed 4 or 5 leaves, thin to about 4 inches (10 cm) to give the seedlings space to grow.
Harvesting parsley
Pick leaves one at a time, all year round
Leaves can be cut as needs arise all year long.
It is best to collect leaves one at a time, instead of tearing out a whole bunch or cutting several stems at once with scissors.
You can collect parsley in all seasons, but it is important to protect your parsley in winter, with a garden cloche for instance, or moving it to an unheated greenhouse.
Favor eating older leaves first.
With parsley, harvest the outer stalks from the edge of the clump, cutting them close to the base, so the younger central shoots can carry on producing new leaves.
As a general guideline, harvest about a third of a parsley plant’s outer stems at a time, leaving inner leaves to fuel regrowth, though established plants usually tolerate harder cutting and resprout from the crown.
Parsley is a biennial, so in its second year it runs to flower and the leaves turn bitter and sparse; snap out flower stalks as they appear to stretch the harvest.
Pick parsley in the morning, once the dew has dried but before the sun grows strong, when the stems are still turgid from the cool night and the leaves have not begun to wilt.
Which parsley to grow
Beyond the flat-leaved and curly split, a handful of varieties turn up again and again in seed catalogues. Here is what separates them in the kitchen and in the row.
Which parsley to grow
Variety
Leaf type
Height
Best use
‘Forest Green’
Curled, dark green
About 12 in (30 cm)
Cut-and-come-again harvesting
‘Hamburg’
Flat, plus a swollen root
About 12 in (30 cm)
Roots for soups and stews
‘Gigante d’Italia’
Flat
Up to 24 in (60 cm)
Large leaves and thick stems for cooking
Hamburg parsley is grown for its taproot, so sow it straight into deep, stone-free soil where it is to crop, as transplanting or stony ground gives forked, stunted roots.
Gigante d’Italia is a large flat-leaf parsley, and since dense, poorly ventilated foliage stays damp and favours Septoria leaf spot, giving vigorous plants enough room for air movement is a sensible precaution.
Parsley seed loses viability quickly compared with most vegetable seed, so buy fresh packets rather than relying on old leftovers if you want even germination.
Learn more about parsley
Parsley is a biennial plant that grows 10 to 24 inches (25 to 60 cm) tall, very fragrant when leaves are rustled.
Curly parsley and flat-leaved parsley is mostly used to flavor mixed salads, omelets or dishes with gravy. When cooking with parsley, use also parsley stems, their taste is more intense than leaves are (especially for curly parsley).
Parsley stems taste more intense than the leaves
Shredded parsley makes for great persillade, to season seafood and barbecues.
They are easy to grow and resist most diseases well.
A good chef certainly prefers flat-leaved parsley for its more delicate taste.
Parsley contains high amounts of essential oil of which a major portion is apiol, a substance that is very common in fruits, as well as vitamins A and C.
