How to Successfully Grow Parsley in Your Herb Garden

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How to Successfully Grow Parsley in Your Herb Garden

 

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www.gardening-tips.org

 

 

I love fresh parsley and if this were a media forum that allowed me

to break into song, I'd do my best Simon and Garfunkel imitation

right about now. You know that great line " Are you going to

Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. "

 

Luckily for all concerned, you can't hear me as I belt out this tune

at yee olde worde processor. I wouldn't have made it as a troubadour

according to my kids but I can make it as an herb grower.

Petroselinum crispum (let's be fancy for a moment) :-) - is a member

of the carrot family and does a lot more for us than just decorate

the side of the plate when we go out to dinner or act as song breaks

for struggling writers.

 

Think about this wonderful herb for a moment. The Japanese deep fry

it, Greeks mix it with tomato sauce to make moussaka, in Spain it is

the prime ingredient in salsa verde and believe it or not the

culinary challenged Brits make a jelly, or so I'm told by a normally

reliable source. It is a great breath freshener, try chewing on a

sprig as a way of cleaning up the breath the next time the cook goes

overboard on garlic. Parsley is also a superior source of vitamins A

and C, not to mention containing niacin, riboflavin and calcium.

 

Some gardeners make a case for parsley being ornamental in the

garden. The curled leaves are seen to be decorative and with its fine

texture, it contrasts with the flat leaves of other plants. I've not

gone that far in my own garden but I can see where the herb lovers

would easily incorporate it into the flower bed closest to the back

door. It is a good looking plant and planted close to the back door

makes it easy to pick a few sprigs for dinner. It would also fit into

a window box - hidden away at the back of the planting to provide a

dark green contrast for any leaves that survived the cook's forays.

 

There are two basic types of parsley, the curled or " crispum " types

and the flat leaved or " Italian " types both grow easily for us here.

I think the flat types are better tasting and have a stronger flavour

but that is a gardener's opinion - and obviously open to debate.

Italian forms are not the most attractive plant - the curled leaf

form being much more ornamental so you can either grow both or pick

your plant based on the need. The plant is technically a biennial but

I've always found that the second year (if it survives the winter)

that it will bolt to seed very quickly in the garden.

 

I start them fresh every year so I'll always have fresh leaves

without the tough bolting seedhead. You'll know it is bolting when

you see the flower stalk starting to rise from the plant - it

resembles Queen Anne's lace - and the only solution is to shear the

entire plant back about half way to the ground. This might stop it

from bolting for a while and may convince it to provide extra leaves

but most of the time, you simply wind up with a stunted looking

plant. I add that once it starts to bolt, the leaves get more bitter

and not particularly edible. Start fresh every year.

 

If you purchase your own plants - grow them in full sun in soil that

is not particularly fertile. A small shovel of compost is perfectly

adequate for the entire season. The plant does like a slightly acidic

soil so adding a shovel of peat to the planting area is also a good

idea. If you start your own seeds - start them now - it is almost too

late to get a good start on the season. Put the seeds on sterilized

soil and barely cover them with soil or grit. Keep warm and slightly

damp until germination - about 2-3 weeks normally. Once they start to

sprout, transplant them into their own small pot and grow them

indoors until all danger of frost is gone. Plant in the garden.

 

Harvest your leaves when the plant begins to produce stems with three

segments. These are best taken from the outside of the plant and

clipped off with scissors or garden shears so as not to tear roots or

disturb the growing crown. If you want to get quite technical and

really encourage the plant to grow - only pick the middle of the

three segments. Leave the other three to grow and support the plant.

This garden trick will produce a very thick, bushy plant in no time.

Parsley can be stored by putting slightly moist sprigs into a baggie

and refrigerating - they'll keep up to 2 weeks in the crisper. I'm

told that it can also be frozen and will keep up to 6 months without

losing taste. Not being much on the freezing details - I'll leave

that to others in the household - I grow 'em, I don't freeze 'em.

 

The only problem you'll likely encounter with parsley is a 2 inch

worm - the parsley worm. These hungry guys can strip a plant right

down overnight so watch carefully in early summer. Your dilemma is

that this worm is the larvae form of the black swallowtail butterfly.

You can have butterflies or you can have parsley - your choice.

 

Butterfly gardeners will move the worm to another carrot family -

dill, parsnips (my all-time first choice), Queen Anne's lace or even

to the neighbour's garden. Real gardeners will stomp it. It's a tough

world out there and we all have to make environmental decisions.