Growing Parsley

Grow parsley to use as a garnish or to add mild flavor to salads, soups,sauces and pasta dishes.  A flat leaf Italian parsley is the stronger sweet flavored parsley, curly parsley is lovely as garnish or tossed in salads.  There are other interesting varieties to experiment with including Asian parsley.

Sun Requirements:  6 to 8 hours, but will tolerate light shade.

Soil:  Organically enriched, well drained soil will increase production.  A pH of 6.0 to 7.0 is preferred

Moisture:  Water regularly to keep soil moist, do not allow to completely dry out.

Spacing:  10 to 12 inches apart

Feeding:  Apply a light dose of 5-10-5 fertilizer a couple of times during the season.

Growing from Seed:  Although parsley is best grown from seed, be patient as germination is a bit slow.  Soak in warm water for several hours and sow in warm soil, keep moist until sprouted.  Sow seeds 6-8 inches apart and thin to 10-12 inches apart.

Problems:  The parsleyworm may afflict your plants, but will not eat enough to kill them.  However, since the parsleyworm soon becomes the beautiful black swallowtail butterfly, perhaps you will want to just plant some extra.  Whitefly can become more of a problem.

Harvest

Using a garden or kitchen shears cut a few stems or handfuls as needed from the outer edges of the clump.  Cut the stems close to the base of the clump to encourage continued production.

Store

Store with cut ends in a jar of water in the refrigerator.  Cover the herbs with a plastic bag.

Preserve

Freeze parsley in resealable freezer bags to best preserve flavor.  Parsley can also be dried and stored in airtight containers.