Topic: Growing parsley - FAO GrannieAnnie

[Hyacinth]

Hiya! Just saw that you posted this on another thread.."And for some reason my parsley is always too skimpy- or zero."

Now then.....what are you doing?

My tried-and-true method over many years (and I sell my surplus plants, year on year, always got it 8)) for both flat-leaf and curly types, is to soak the seeds overnight in hottish water & keep steeped til next morning somewhere warm - top of combi-boiler for me. Then I drain them & sow in seed compost, lightly covering, in trays with polythene top-things. Into the unheated g/house (but this is May, remember, so no danger of sub temps at night). Germination bout14 days max. Remove top-thingy during the day, tuck them up cozy at night. Soon got lots and lots and loads of plantlets to pot on. Never fails. By the time I start again the next year, the previous year's sowing is ready to go to compost, so I'm never without fresh parsley.  8)

Now then, what are you doing differently?

Lishka

[GrannieAnnie]

De-Lishka!
Thank you for all the directions.  I've always tried starting them in the ground where a few come up.  Maybe they dry out, or get too hot or eaten by slugs.  I'll try your pot method.

[Digeroo]

I was a total failure at parsley until I bought a little kit from Lidl (a cut price supermarket.)  The whole thing cost about 70p (about 1$)

All the kit was was a little plastic tray, some seed compost, a clear plastic lid and of course the seeds.  The clear plastic lid seeds to be the most important part it is about an inch higher than the compost.  You simply put the compost in the tray, dampen it, sprinkle the seed on top (don't cover), cover with the clear plastic lid and place on a sunny window sill.

And up pop thousands of little seedlings.

I now do it with little pots but make sure they are covered by a clear plastic lid.

[GrannieAnnie]

Thank you both.  I'll try the lid& & pot idea. One article Hyacinth referred to said there is total germination in 1 week  if the soil temp is 90 F so might also add some bottom heat. It has helped me germinate other things.

[Hyacinth]

 To clarify for others....

I realized this morning that when I posted to GA yesters, tho thinking 'parsley sowing' I was posting 'sweet pea sowing'....duh! (and promise, I'd not had a drop :o).....so I mailed her this morning and found a link to a US site which I thought might help her. The answers seemed to cover what both Digeroo and I had covered, but (in my case ::)) was more topic-specific.  I'd still say, tho, that bottom heat's not necessary IF you sow at a time when things want to do their stuff naturally....here, in mid-England, early May, unheated g/house, in pots or trays for planting out, rather than in open ground. Take it year-on-year,  and this year's growth will cover more than adequately that being produced from last year's plants.

Until you get the production line going, tho, nothing wrong in your first year buying a pot of s/market parsley (69p or thereabouts?)...splitting the clump up into 4, say,  planting them in a parsley pot/trough,cutting back (using the cuttings) and they will rejuvenate & produce healthy sturdy plants to keep you going while your sown seeds do their thang....

Link to site I sent G/A is here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg0512042622297.html

[Digeroo]

I certainly sowed much earlier than May, because I went on holiday in May and planted them all into the garden before I went, thought it was feb or march.  They are very hardy certainly do not mind a touch of frost.

Just going to make some parsley sauce to go with some salmon.  Delicious.

I think that the 16th Feb will be a good day.    Will do celery the same day.

[GrannieAnnie]

I think that the 16th Feb will be a good day.    Will do celery the same day.

   :o  Now THERE's somebody who plans  way ahead!
(I suddenly feel disorganized. :-[)

[Sparkly]

I have always had no luck with parsley from seed. Am okay from small seedlings, which are cheap enough. I picked a load today and froze it in ice-cube trays for winter.  :)

[Duke Ellington]

This is the first year I have been successful growing parsley!!......this is the first year I used Lidls parsley seeds.

Duke :)

[GrannieAnnie]

This is the first year I have been successful growing parsley!!......this is the first year I used Lidls parsley seeds.

Duke :)

Rock on, Duke!

[chriscross1966]

I've never had a problem getting parsley to germinate using a fairly cheap heated propagator, they normally go through as part of the hardy veg (between the onions and the GH tender stuff.....) I also soak the seedss in warm water before I start though... normally for a couple of hours.... do it when I start the batch of sowings but sow them last....

chrisc

[artichoke]

I've had plenty of parsley since a few years ago when I started germinating them in damp paper/plasic bag in airing cupboard, and placing seeds with tiny roots into compost in a gutter, carefully spaced out. Eventually small plants get planted out. Its sounds a bit fiddly, but I like to use parsley like a vegetable, and lots of it, so I think it's worth it. Never had much luck sowing it outside.

[thifasmom]

the ones which over wintered last winter have set seed and have selfsown themselves in this years sweetcorn bed and in between the cracks of the brick footpath. they germinated this October.

in the spring I'll transplant the ones that are in the bed to more suitable areas. i am wondering though would the ones which germinated this October go to seed in the spring. if yes i won't bother to move them and would simply dig them in when I'm ready to use the bed.

may move a few into pots and into the greenhouse over the weekend, to speed up growth so i can use them over the winter.

[Stevens706]

Has anyone tried growing Hamburg Parsley , just bought some seeds this week?