Parsley is used in salads, soups. A nice decoration to a dinner plate. The delicate dark green foliage makes it an excellent plant for borders or growing on windowsills. Zone 5 – 9, Likes full sun to particle shade. Moderately rich, well-drained soil. Side dress with compost for productive plants in mid-season. Usually survives the winter, but quickly goes to flower in spring. To attract beneficial insects to the garden, let a few plants go to seed. Plants can be grown in pots or bring indoors for winter harvests.

Biennial grown as an annual, height 8 – 12 inches, leaves are finely divided, on a long stalk. Blooms early spring of second year, tiny, greenish yellow umbels. Usually free from pests and diseases. Cut leaf stalks at the base for fresh foliage all summer. Hang bunches to dry in shade or freeze whole or chopped. May go to seed prematurely if taproot severely damaged during transplanting. Dried parsley quickly loses flavor. Save a winter’s worth by chopping and freezing fresh parsley in zippered plastic bags. Curley parsley is one of the popular herbs. Parsley is a heavy feeder and should be fertilized after harvesting unless the soil is very rich. Curley parsley grows low to the ground and gets muddy after a heavy rain. Thin mulch spread around the plants will help to keep them clean. In fall, the growth will stop and the plants appear to die back. Italian parsley can take more frost and can be harvested later than the curley variety. The plants will grow again in early spring. Outdoors, the usual array of insects can be found on parsley, including caterpillars and worms. Many of them are beneficial, spiders, for example. Insects like to hide in the many folds of curly parsley. Wash the bunches to remove insects before eating. Parsley is susceptible to a number of diseases, including gray mold, (Botrytis) downy mildew, bacterial soft rot, root and crown rot, various mosaic viruses and root knot nematodes. Harvest the leaves when they are big enough to bunch before harvesting. At least six to eight times in one season. Expect more harvest from Italian parsley which grows more vigorously. Parsley stems should be pulled from the plant rather than cut unless you take the entire plant at one bunch. Cut stem ends left on base of the plant tend to rot and invites disease. It is best to take the outermost leaves and allow to the crown to continue growing. Wash parsley in cool water before using. Give a sharp shake to remove much water as possible. Refrigerate parsley as soon as possible after harvesting. Also place in glass container in refrigerator to keep longer.