Parsley Growing Tips

Hi,

About to plant some parsley in my herb bed and am hoping to keep it going as a perennial by covering with fleece over winter etc, but as a gardening novice any tips would be much appreciated.

I've planted seeds in trays indoors this weekend and was going to transplant these into the bed (warmed with hot water) when big enough to handle. Is this the best way or should I have planted straight out? If it's ok to transplant will I need to harden it off first and if so how do I do this - just pop it outside every day and bring in at night for a couple of weeks?

I know it's a bi-annual so is it fair to assume that I just have to let some flower and go to seed at the end of the season to get more next year or is it not this simple? Do I need to save seeds and plant up again next year?

As I say, I'm a novice so I realise a lot of this is prob a bit simplistic stuff but advice online seems a bit contradictory and I trust you lot!

Cheers

 

Hi, yes, you can plant out your seedlings in little clumps if necessary. Harden off first as you describe. Never tried the hot water thing, I'd save the gas and wait another week or so for the soil to get a bit warmer. I think you did the right thing to sow in a tray as it's been so cold, but you can make subsequent sowings direct into the soil if you prefer.

You are right, it is a biennial, next year it will be hell bent on going to seed. Some people say you can stop it if you relentless remove all flower heads. I've tried ripening seed heads and they take ages, most of the summer, to go brown. They scattered lots of seed, which germinated, but the seedlings all mysteriously disappeared sometime later so now I don't have any parsley in the garden, pah. So best to scatter some and also save some to cover all eventualities.

 

Thanks, feel a lot clearer on the way forward now. Whether I have any success is another matter, but at least I know the theory now!
Cheers.

 

Throw some seeds down on the parsley patch in late summer/early autumn. Some will germinate quickly if the ground is warm, some will wait til the the following spring, so you end up with it at different stages in the lifecycle, so you should always have some ready.

Be prepared for a bit of a surprise though. Parsley grown in open ground grows considerably larger than parsley grown in pots. It gets two 2 or 3ft tall and quite bushy.

 

Clueless almost took the words out of my mouth, bung the seed in and watch this space, it can get rampant though if you haven't got pesky chickens to keep it in check!

 

Are you growing flat-leaf or 'curled' parsley Andy?
I've tried both and had far more success with flat-leaf. The curled leaf stuff seems to be a rather fussy plant in my experience.
Agree with what others have already said, if you let it flower it will quite happily seed itself around the patch (and other areas nearby). Enough seedlings usually survive to provide plenty of new plants each year.
As an added bonus, the flower heads are very attractive to bees, hover flies and other insects.

 

I'm growing flat-leaf. Thanks for the advice. Got some in pots just starting now so will plant those out once hardened off and then chuck more bought seed down in the early autumn this year, plus let a little run to seed naturally.
Thanks all