Parsley Seeds 25g

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is the kitchen's most reliable green companion, prized for its clean, fresh aroma and bright, peppery-herbal flavour. Its deep-green, finely divided leaves bring colour and freshness to salads, soups, stews and tabbouleh, and make an attractive garnish on any plate. A staple of Egyptian and Mediterranean cooking, it is just as happy in a garden bed as in a kitchen pot on a sunny windowsill, giving you a steady supply of leaves to pick as you need them.

Planting

Sow seed about 1 cm deep, cover lightly and keep the surface moist. Germination is slow, usually taking 14 to 30 days at a soil temperature of around 18-21 °C, so soaking the seed in warm water for up to 24 hours before sowing helps speed emergence. Choose a spot in full sun or partial shade with roughly 6-8 hours of light a day. Thin seedlings once they reach 5-8 cm tall, spacing plants about 15-30 cm apart.

Fertilizing

In garden beds, apply a 5-10-5 fertilizer once or twice during the growing season, or side-dress with compost as needed. Plants grown in containers benefit from a liquid feed at half the labelled strength every 3-4 weeks outdoors, or every 4-6 weeks when kept indoors.

Care

Keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged, watering deeply at least once a week and not letting plants dry out completely. Watch for aphids, the most common pest, along with occasional swallowtail caterpillars, and prevent Septoria leaf spot through crop rotation and good garden hygiene. Leaves are ready roughly 70-90 days after sowing, once stems carry at least three segments. Pick the outer leaves first and leave the centre to keep the plant producing.