Parsley from Seed

[Garden Manager]

Who grows their own parsley from seed? I always try to but lasy year had no sucess and this years sowing has had poor results too.

I tend to sow them in small pots of seed compost in the greenhouse, pr*ck out and plant out when big enough. This year i sowed 2 pots , one flat leaved, one curly leaved (was given some seed). I prefer flat leaved parsley but so far (after around 3 weeks) only the curly leaved seed has come up. Both packets of seed werent brand new but not old either.

Instructions on the packets say to soak the seed in cold water overnight  before sowing. I have done this in the past with good germination but did find the sowing fiddly after soaking, so have stopped doing it - at first it seemed to make no difference, a freshly opened packed germinated fine without soaking, but now i realis not doing it could be the reason why i am not having much luck with the flat leaved type particularly.

So has anyone got any tips or tricks for sucessfully germinating flat leaved parsley and if it involved soaking the seed how do you get on with sowing after soaking?

I look forward  to replies. Thanks.

[Garden Manager]

[goodlife]

I sow parley from seed...and don't usually have any issues with germination. I have never ever soaked them neither?!
But they are not the speediest of the seeds to germinate..
I start mine in house where temperature is more constant...if the propagator is on, the pot goes there..if the grow lights are on, under them(little heat helps), but usually just room temperature is fine.
Home made seed compost, made with MP compost and with plenty of sand and fine vermiculate is what I use in 3" pot and light dusting of same stuff over the seeds and off they go.
I don't do huge amount parley...this year more than normally=15 plants and all from just 3" pot of sowed seeds.
I've run out of dried parsley supplies so I'm growing bit more this year to stock up with winter essentials...don't always fancy going out for handful of parley so cupboard items do come handy.

[artichoke]

I put the seeds into damp cloth in a plastic container, and as soon as they germinate, use tweezers to place them in a gutter of compost. Eventually they go out into the soil.

It sounds a bit of a nuisance, but I have had disappointments with direct sown parsley, and this is completely fail safe. As they are in the ground for over a year and very productive (I like masses of parsley), I think it is worth fiddling about for a few minutes to get them into the gutter and then into the ground. Last year's flat parsley is reaching for the sky now, but still very leafy.

[GrannieAnnie]

Like you, other years my parsley did poorly planting directly outside. I tried the boiling water method and others with no great results. This year it seems every seed planted germinated. I was determined to grow lots- for us and for the swallowtail butterfly larvae. I planted in small cell blocks (9 to a square) filled with purchased good germinating medium, moistened it and covered with plastic kitchen wrap until it germinated inside (carried from window to window to catch the sun.) Also, I put seeds into each pot of tomatoes and peppers I started from seed and THEY ALL CAME UP! So it looks like we shall have plenty this year to share.

[Lady of the Land]

I sowed mine about 3 weeks ago outside. I boiled a kettle of water and poured over the soil about 10" diameter circle, sowed the seed, gently raked the seed in and covered with a round glass bell- can use the plastic bell shape cover. I ensure I keep it damp/wet until seed germinates and water about 3 x week afterwards. I have taken glass bell off in last few days (they are about a 1cm high and will only cover if frost likely. I m in the South East.

I have done this for the last few years without a problem- I think it is a combination of keeping seed/soil warmish until germinated and the soil moist.

Good luck with growing yours

[kippers garden]

I just sow them direct in newspaper pots without soaking and keep them in a propagator until they come up and i've never had any problems either

[aj]

I've just potted on all my Giant Italian flatleaf; and my Laura which was sown about 3 weeks ago. Never poured boiling water over it! We've got loads of it this year. Sown in half seed trays.

I also dug up and transplanted last year's but you have to keep on top of it or it flowers, so need new stock for eating to let the flowers carry on flowering.

[Digeroo]

I sprinkle mine on top of damp potting compost then cover with clear plastic and place on the windowsill, they germinated very quickly that way. 

Do not cover them they need light to germinate.

The ones that have self sown in the garden do not seem to mind the frost.

[alkanet]

a friend gets me to grow parsley, because she says it can only be germinated by someone wearing trousers, presumably meaning a man
This is nonsense of course. Parsley is difficult to germinate because it has to go back and forth to the Devil seven times first

[artichoke]

My best parsley at the moment (apart from the flat-leaved reaching for the sky from last year) is in a "self-watering" pot, planted up with little seedlings found in a gravelled area, self-sown from some huge plants nearby that I had neglected.....

It's like parsnips.....if you let a parsnip flower and set seed, the scattered seedlings seem MUCH more vigorous and fast-growing than those you buy and sow yourself.

[GrannieAnnie]

My best parsley at the moment (apart from the flat-leaved reaching for the sky from last year) is in a "self-watering" pot, planted up with little seedlings found in a gravelled area, self-sown from some huge plants nearby that I had neglected.....

It's like parsnips.....if you let a parsnip flower and set seed, the scattered seedlings seem MUCH more vigorous and fast-growing than those you buy and sow yourself.

perhaps because the seed is fresh and went through all the freeze-thaw cycles?

[Digeroo]

Just been to lottie and the parsley I sowed two weeks ago outside by just sprinkling it around and now I have a forest of little seedlings.

[galina]

I sow parsley in the warmth of the propagator and transplant.  Comes up really fast and reliably. 

[saddad]

OH does ours but we get loads (she clearly wears the trousers!) we usually end up planting out a 15' row of the left overs al;ong one bed...