Eating Garden

How to Grow Parsley

Petroselinum crispum

A leafy herb with slow-sprouting seed and a long harvest season once established.

At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

    6 to 8 hours of sun a day

  • Water

    Average thirst

  • Growing in a pot

    Suitable for pots

  • Plant spacing

    10 to 12 in apart

More about this plant

Be patient while parsley seed wakes up, give each plant room and do not let the soil dry completely. Snip outer stalks near the ground so the center keeps growing.

  • Grows over two seasons.
  • Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
  • Fine in a small space.
  • A good one to grow together with children.

Optional local dates

Planting dates where you live

The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.

Optional local dates

Get planting dates for where you live

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Helpful gardening guides

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

  • Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frostStart six to eight weeks before the last spring frost if you want larger plants at planting time.
  • Sow outdoors 0 to 2 weeks after your last spring frostDirect sow after the danger of spring frost has passed.
  • Plant out 0 to 2 weeks after your last spring frostSet hardened plants outside after spring frost danger has passed.
  • Seeds usually sprout in 14 to 35 days.

What you need

  • How to start itFrom seed or a young plantYou can sow it straight into the ground, or start it indoors first.
  • How deep to plant0.125 in
    Planting depth: 0.125 in below the soil surface. Drawing is not to scale.
  • How far apart10 to 12 in
    Leave 10 to 12 in between plants. View from above; drawing is not to scale.

Step by step

  1. Allow time for slow seedSow indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost, or outdoors after frost danger. Germination can take two to five weeks.
  2. Cover seed lightlyUse only about an eighth of an inch of soil and keep the surface moist.
  3. Give plants roomThin or transplant to about 10 to 12 inches apart.
  4. Keep roots moistWater deeply when rain is short and check pots before they dry completely.
  5. Mulch lightlyA thin mulch holds water and keeps weeds from crowding the herb.
  6. Cut outer stalksSnip near the ground and leave the center to make the next harvest.

Common mistakes

  • Giving up on slow seedParsley can take two to five weeks to sprout. Keep the surface moist while you wait.
  • Growing seedlings in weak lightIndoor plants stretch and weaken without bright overhead light.
  • Cutting the whole centerThe middle leaves make the next harvest. Take older outer stalks first.

Water

Average thirst

Do not let parsley dry completely. Water deeply at least weekly when rain is short, and check containers more often.

  • Too dry
  • About right
  • Too wet
  • If it goes drySuffers quickly when dryLeaves droop, yellow at the edges and stop growing.
  • If it stays wetDislikes sitting wetWet soil can yellow the plant and weaken its roots.

Looking after it

  • FeedingRarely needs feedingBegin with compost and follow a soil test. Container plants may need a light feed as the potting mix is depleted.
  • PruningNeeds pruningSnip outer stalks close to the ground and leave the small center growth in place.
  • ThinningThin seedlings to 10 in apartCrowded seedlings stay small. Pull the weaker ones and keep the strongest.
  • MulchA light mulch helps the soil stay moist and slows weeds.

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: Harvest once the plant has several sturdy outer stalks and enough center growth to keep replacing them.

Cut the oldest outer stalks close to the soil. Leave the center leaves to continue growing.

  • Keeping itUse parsley fresh for the best flavor. Keep cut stalks cool and use them soon, or freeze chopped leaves for longer storage.

Is this right for you?

Mild spring through fall weather. Parsley is a biennial, but cold winters can kill it, so many gardeners grow it as an annual.

  • LightFull sunAbout 6 to 8 hours of direct sun a day.
  • ShadeCopes with a little shade
  • SeasonA cool season cropUsually grown in spring, summer, or fall.
  • FrostSurvives a light frost
  • HeatCopes with heat

Soil

  • Soil pH6.0 to 7.0A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
  • Soil it likesLoam, Sandy
  • DrainageWants well drained ground
  • RichnessAverage ground is fine

Use well-drained soil rich in finished compost or other organic matter.

Test the soil before feeding. Avoid fresh manure and fertilizer that also contains weed killer.

The year at a glance

Measured from your last spring frost, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

  1. Start seeds indoors

    6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost

  2. Sow outdoors

    0 to 2 weeks after your last spring frost

  3. Plant out

    0 to 2 weeks after your last spring frost

Questions people ask

Why is my parsley seed not sprouting?

Parsley is naturally slow and may take two to five weeks. Keep the seed bed moist but not soaked.

Can parsley grow in a pot?

Yes. Use a draining pot with enough room for the mature clump and check moisture often.

How should I harvest parsley?

Cut older outer stalks near the ground and leave the center growing.

Will parsley come back next year?

It is a biennial, but cold winters may kill it. A surviving second-year plant soon flowers and makes seed.

Also filed under: Herbs

Where this came from

Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

Sources & review dates
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