Parsley
Parsley is almost essential in a kitchen herb garden. Its leaves are widely used in salads and salsas, soups and stews… so many dishes are made better with a little chopped parsley. Although it’s a biennial, growing leaves and a strong root in the first year then flowers and seed in the second, it is usually grown as an annual. There’s some debate over whether curled or flat leaved parsley is best, but it really comes down to personal preference. If in doubt, grow both!
Petroselinum crispum
Biennial
Sow Make a first sowing of parsley indoors in early spring. The seed can be slow to germinate, so be patient – a little heat can help it along if you have a propagator or a windowsill above a radiator. Pot on as needed and plant out as a sturdy little plant. You can sow parsley at pretty much any time in spring or summer. A late summer sowing will overwinter to produce lots of fresh, young leaves as the weather warms and light levels increase the following spring.
Uses There’s a line in the movie ‘The Fabulous Baker Brothers’ when Michelle Pfeiffer’s character compares a song to parsley… take it away and nobody notices (or something along those lines). This seems very unfair. Parsley is an essential herb in so many dishes. Add it to omelettes, garlic butter, salad dressings and soups. Combine it with coriander and oregano to make the delicious sauce, chimichurri or with mint in a tabouleh salad. Make parsley oil to drizzle over roasted vegetables.
If you do leave parsley in the ground for a second year, the flowers will attract pollinators and are pretty in cut flower arrangements.
Grow Parsley likes a good rich but well-drained soil. I’ve had it self-seeding and growing lush leaves on a compost heap. A sunny spot is good, but you can also grow it in part shade. In a pot give it plenty of room (as big a pot as you can) and good compost – a regular liquid feed will help keep it productive.