Parsley: how to grow a good crop

First, let’s figure out what are the differences between parsley varieties.

common leaf parsley forms smooth carved shiny leaves on long petioles, in their rosette from 30 to 100 pieces. It is grown most often, because its varieties grow noticeably faster.

curly leaf parsley forms more compact bushes and strongly corrugated dense leaves. It is coarser, but richer in mineral salts and better stored.

Root parsley forms a cone-shaped root crop, the size of which varies considerably, and its flesh is white, dense and with a spicy aroma.

Parsley leaves and roots are used fresh and dried, as well as salted and added to vegetable preparations.

By the way, according to legend, a local peasant found parsley on the rocks of the Greek peninsula Morena (Peloponnese) and he really liked the smell. He memorized the place where it grows and later returned for seeds, sowed them near the house, grew them like a spice and shared with neighbors. Soon, parsley was grown all over Hellas and was called Petroselinum – living in the mountains.

Growing parsley

Parsley is cold-resistant and can withstand temperatures down to -8 °C. With sufficient snow cover, the tops do not die off during overwintering, even at -30 °C. It can be mined from under the snow by digging snowdrifts.

In warm climates, parsley is a perennial plant. In residential areas, leafy parsley is successfully grown in pots; it not only provides useful greenery, but is also quite decorative (1).

Parsley is suitable for any garden, fairly fertile, loose, well-moistened soils and a sunny place – the aroma of the leaves depends on the light, although there are also shade-tolerant varieties. On heavy, highly compacted soils, plants lag behind in development, are affected by diseases, and root crops acquire an ugly shape. 

Plant requirements for environmental conditions and agricultural technology are exactly the same as for carrots. It is important to observe crop rotation – parsley does not tolerate repeated crops after other crops of the Celery family (2).

Planting parsley

Leaf parsley can be sown throughout the season, usually multiple times. The last date for sowing is the end of July. To obtain early greenery, winter crops are used, but in this case, due to cold weather, plants may sprout in the first year of life. However, this can be avoided if seedlings are covered in time with agrotextiles.

Root parsley is sown only in spring, when the soil warms up. From germination to the formation of marketable root crops (diameter 1,5 cm), it takes 100 – 130 days.

It is advisable to prepare the bed in the fall. In the spring, its surface is carefully leveled and at a distance of 20 – 25 cm from each other, grooves are made 1 – 1,5 cm deep. They should have a damp, dense bed, since the seeds cannot be buried.

– The germination of parsley seeds, even of the first quality class, is not higher than 70%, that is, approximately every third seed does not germinate! – warns doctor of agricultural sciences Sci. Vladimir Suzan. – So it is better to take the seeds with a margin.

In the grooves, the seeds are scattered quite densely, ideally with a distance of 1 cm, powdered on top with low-lying peat or sifted light soil and slightly compacted.

“Sprouts may not be obtained at all if the seeds are planted deeper than 1 cm. The same problem arises if the topsoil dries out quickly,” says Vladimir Suzan. – So you need to monitor the crops, water them on time.

Parsley seeds, like most celery seeds, are tight – they contain a lot of essential oils. It is recommended to soak them, changing the water many times – this speeds up germination. Without soaking, seedlings appear after 2,5 – 3 weeks. For leaf parsley, this is not scary – her greens are gaining mass in a month.

– But there is a problem: in 3 weeks, while parsley sprouts, the bed is completely covered with weeds. Therefore, in order to mark the rows, it is necessary to mix the seeds of beacon plants that germinate quickly, such as radish, lettuce mustard, watercress, etc., to its seeds. They should be about 1%, advises Vladimir Suzan. – Then it will be easy to destroy weed shoots in the aisles with a bracket or a flat cutter.

But it is necessary to soak the seeds of root parsley, otherwise the root crop may not ripen.

– After the appearance of true leaves in plants, the crops are thinned out. For leaf parsley, up to 50 plants are left per linear meter, for root parsley – 20 – 30. Sometimes root parsley is thinned out twice as it grows. Remote plants are used for food, says Vladimir Suzan. – Before thinning, the earth must be well shed, then it will be easier to uproot the plants.

Caring for parsley outdoors

Watering. Parsley should be provided with uniform sufficient moisture throughout the growing period. But it’s important not to overdo it.

– When waterlogged, the aromaticity of plants decreases, and root crops can rot, – says Vladimir Suzan. – After each watering or heavy rain, it is advisable to loosen the soil between the rows to a depth of about 5 cm.

Feeding. You need to feed parsley every 10-14 days with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers – they will ensure constant growth, bright color and aroma of the leaves. For leaf parsley, fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen are used. Root varieties from the end of July are fed only with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (3).

Harvesting parsley

Leaves are plucked with petioles as needed, as soon as they grow to 15 – 20 cm – usually 2 months after germination. If parsley is grown for sale, good yields are obtained by repeated cutting of the extreme leaves weighing more than 2,5 g. The leaves are tied in bunches of 50 g. With two or three cuts per 1 sq. m receive up to 1,5 kg of greenery.

For the winter, leaf parsley can be left in the ground. In the spring, it will grow back early and it will be possible to collect leaves before stalking begins. Then the plants are dug up, 2 – 3 bushes can be left for seeds.

Root parsley is dug up at the end of September – October, the leaves are cut off and stored for storage. If you plan to use greens, the leaves are cut before digging (4). Varieties with long roots are more difficult to dig and often break.

Parsley storage rules

For storage, parsley leaves are washed, dried, cooled and packed in bundles of approximately 300 g in perforated polyethylene film. In this form, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1,5 months.

For longer storage during late autumn harvesting, the leaves are cut with the head of the root crop, packed and stored at a temperature close to 0 °C.

Parsley is frozen in bunches or finely chopped in ice cubes.

Root parsley is stored for 3 months or more in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment, and in a cold cellar, covered with sand – until next summer.

Popular questions and answers

Answered our questions about growing parsley doctor of agricultural sciences Sciences Vladimir Suzan.

Sources of

1. Ludilov V.A., Ivanova M.I. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Bustard +, 2004
2. Mukhanova Yu. I. et al. Green and spicy vegetable crops // M .: Rosselkhozizdat, 1977
3. Tsiunel M.M. Radishes and 12 green crops // M., Gavrish, 2021
4. Shevchenko Yu.P. and others. Green and spicy-flavoring crops // M., Federal Scientific Center for Vegetable Growing, 2019