I have two rows of very healthy looking flat leaf parsley growing on the allotment. Will it survive the winter with protection or does it die back? Is it best to freeze it now?
Thanks
Duke :)
If you can cloche it it will stay... we have a line in a cold greenhouse over winter. If not it will die back. :)
not sure of the flat leaf parsley but the curly parsley stood throughout out the last winter with no problems not even the snow did it any harm.
last autumn though i didn't know that curly parsley was frost hardy and harvested a bath tub full washed drained and froze in 3 large ziplock bags. they remained fragrant and green and was quick to get rather than go out into the cold to harvest. i also pulled two large plants up and gave them to my neighbour. the ones which i harvested from i left in the ground and cloche them. one of them started to develop root aphids, roll on Jan 09 and i learned that they were frost hardy, i uncloche them and the root aphids died out with all the snow we had.
then came spring 09 and they ones which were left outside was full of leaf and i picked from them till they were well into flower production, now I'm harvesting seed.
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk187/thifasmom/The%20Vegetable%20Garden%20and%20its%20produce%202008/IMG_0760.jpg)
EDITED: just found this that says the flat leaf is also hardy, so should be ok without protection. but i think a cloche will keep the leaves clean from the winter rain splashes.
http://wyevale.shootgardening.co.uk/sitePlant.php?plantid=1173 (http://wyevale.shootgardening.co.uk/sitePlant.php?plantid=1173)
Thanks for all the info thifasmom and saddad ! I will cloche one row and leave the other one and see what happens to it . :)
Duke :)
it is a biennial so should keep well through the winter but can get sorry looking if the weather gets really bad or soil/conditions not good, then it is likely to romp to seed next spring, sometimes later