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How to grow Parsley in the UK

The herb you'll use most. Very slow to come up - be patient!

• DifficultyA bit more care
• WhereBeds or Pots
• Grows to30cm
• Spacing20cm
• Time to first pickabout 12 weeks

When to sow, plant and harvest parsley

Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.

Starting it indoors

1. Fill a small pot or tray with seed compost
2. Push the seeds in (1cm deep) - a couple per pot
3. Water gently, then put them on a bright windowsill
4. Keep the compost damp but not soggy - check it every day
5. When they have 2 proper leaves, give each seedling its own pot

Sowing it outdoors

1. Pull out any weeds and rake the top of your bed until it's crumbly, like cake crumbs
2. Make a little line in the soil (1cm deep) with your finger or a stick
3. Drop the seeds in, about 20cm apart each way
4. Gently cover them with soil and pat it down
5. Water with a watering can that has a sprinkler head
6. Push in a label so you remember what's there

Planting it out

1. Toughen them up ('hardening off'): put them outside in the day for a week, bring them in at night
2. Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
3. Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
4. Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
5. Space the plants about 20cm apart each way

Top tips for growing parsley

• Soak the seeds in warm water overnight - they come up faster.
• It can take 4 weeks to appear. Mark where you sowed it.

Soil and feeding

Poor, free-draining soil - they don't like it too rich. Most herbs like it quite poor and sunny. Too much food makes them floppy and less tasty.

Pests and problems

• Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather
• Carrot fly: lays eggs by the roots - the maggots tunnel into carrots

• Protect seedlings from slugs

Harvesting and eating parsley

Cut the outside stalks near the bottom. Leave the middle to keep growing.

How to eat them: Chop it over potatoes, fish, soups and salads.

Storing parsley

Keeps about 1 week.

• Stand the stalks in a glass of water in the fridge

Chop and freeze in ice-cube trays with a little water or oil - drop a cube into cooking.

Good varieties of parsley

• Plain leaved (Italian): Flat leaves with the strongest flavour.
• Moss Curled: Curly parsley - looks great on a plate.

Saving your own parsley seed

It only makes seed in its second summer.

1. This plant flowers in its second year, so leave one or two strong plants in the ground over winter
2. Next summer they grow tall and flower - bees love them
3. Cut the seed heads when they're brown and dry, and shake out the seeds
4. Cabbage-family plants cross with each other, so seed may not come true

Where to buy parsley seeds

Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon

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Parsley questions

When should I sow parsley in the UK?

In the UK, sow parsley indoors from early March to late April or outdoors from mid April to late July. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.

When do I plant out parsley?

Plant parsley out from early May to late June.

When can I pick parsley?

Parsley is ready from early June to mid December. Cut the outside stalks near the bottom. Leave the middle to keep growing.

How long do parsley take to grow?

Roughly 12 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.

Are parsley easy to grow?

Parsley are rated 'a bit more care' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.