Would you like to sow parsley, but aren't quite sure how best to do it? Here are the instructions that give me a rich harvest every year!
Parsley must not be missing in any kitchen. It goes with pasta dishes, as well as potatoes, in casseroles, spreads - and actually everywhere :)
And breeding is really worthwhile. Because did you know that 100 grams of parsley more vitamin C than the same amount of lemon?
Parsley is mega healthy and contains vitamin C as well as beta carotene, folic acid, antioxidants and much more.
It also tastes pretty delicious. And a Good mood maker it is too. This is because it contains so much of the trace element manganese.
But enough of that. Let's sow some parsley. I'll show you how it's done. It's easy to do on the windowsill, on the balcony and in the garden.
Sowing parsley is not difficult. What is difficult, however, is the patience you need to have. Because it can take quite a long time for parsley seeds to germinate.
Depending on temperature and location, even several weeks.
That's why I always pre-sow parsley on the windowsill. It's a little quicker there. By the way, patience really pays off. Because your own plants taste much more aromatic than those from the supermarket.
Table of contents
What you need to know about sowing parsley
There are a few little things you should know ahead of time.
Parsley
- is a dark seedling
- takes a long time to germinate
- likes it bright and warm when germinating
- can be sown in the apartment from February
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What kind of parsley there is
You may have noticed that there is flat-leaf and curly parsley.
What distinguishes the two varieties from each other is the taste. The flat parsley is much more aromatic. The curly parsley does not wilt so quickly and stays fresh longer.
You do not need to dry either variety. They lose most of their flavor in the process.
Wrapped in a damp cloth in the refrigerator, both varieties stay fresh for a long time. Alternatively, you can chop and freeze them.
What applies to all varieties: Do not add the parsley to the food during cooking or baking. Sprinkle it freshly over the dish just before serving. This preserves the most flavor and color.
And then there is root parsley. Depending on the soil, it forms roots like a carrot. It is then used mainly in soups or sauces.
You can collect the seeds yourself the previous year or buy them online. You can also choose from many different types of parsley seeds.
If you follow this, you can grow basil on your windowsill!
When is the best time to sow parsley
That depends on where you want to grow the herb. On the balcony? In the garden or on the windowsill?
You can start growing in pots as early as February. The parsley will then be big enough to move outdoors by April.
In the garden you can start sowing from mid-March. The temperature of the soil must be at least 8 degrees. Cold can not particularly suffer the small plants.
Professionals recommend sowing parsley directly into the garden in July/August. It then grows particularly quickly and is available long into the fall.
Incidentally, you don't need to throw it away in the fall. If you sow parsley, you will have it for two years. The herb simply sprouts again in the spring and picks up where it left off in the fall.
Why you need a lot of time if you want to sow parsley
I sowed parsley and basil at the same time. While the basil was already 3 cm tall, the parsley seedlings just started to stick their heads out of the ground. Very slowly and leisurely.
You can speed up the process by placing the seeds in lukewarm water before sowing. Let them soak here quietly for 4 hours.
To make sowing parsley more successful, it is best to mix the wet seeds with a little fine sand.
Full sun the little plants do not like. They prefer to stand in partial shade.
At about 20 ° parsley germinates for 14 days.
After 7 to 8 weeks you can harvest for the first time.
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Sowing parsley on the windowsill
The plantlets in the photo are 2.5 cm tall and took 18 days. Where the location of sowing was chosen very well. The plants have sun from 7 am to 12 noon on the window sill and stand brightly even after that.
By the way, it works best in a greenhouse. The temperature is high and constant throughout. Through the transparent lid comes enough light.
This is the best way to proceed
- Soak the seeds in water for a few hours.
- In the meantime, prepare the soil. It is best to use seeding soil.
- Fill the planter with soil. However, leave about 2 cm space at the top.
- Make the soil moist. The best way to do this is with a spray bottle.
- Mix the seeds with fine sand - but it also works without.
- Put the seeds on the ground.
- Now cover them with a 1 cm layer of soil and spray them again with the spray bottle.
- Place the pot in a warm and sunny place.
- Make sure that the soil does not dry out.
- At 22° room temperature and sun, I could see the first results after 10 days.
- Once the plants are germinated, it goes moderately fast. Within 8 days formed the first parsley leaves.
That's about it. If the plants have 2 leaves in addition to the cotyledons, you can prick them.
They need a lot of space to grow big and strong. Here you have two options. Either you plant 2-3 pieces each in a pot or you put them right outside.
From April, the plants can go outdoors. If frost threatens, cover them with a garden fleece.
At a size of about 7 cm, they are ready for it to come to their future fixed place.
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Sowing parsley outdoors
Of course, you can also sow parsley directly outdoors and skip the pre-growing. It works just as well in the garden as on the balcony.
On the balcony
If you decide to use the balcony and a planter, you should make sure that you provide enough soil. Parsley forms roots that grow deep into the ground.
So take a deep pot rather than a shallow planter.
Make sure that the soil remains moist and the seeds get sun until they germinate. Later, the plants are also satisfied with partial shade.
Very important: you must avoid waterlogging at all costs. If the soil is too moist, the roots will start to rot.
To do this, you can scatter shards of clay or gravel in the bottom of the pot before adding soil on top.
If there is a danger of frost, bring the pot from the balcony into the apartment overnight.
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In the garden
If you have a vegetable patch, it is best to choose a semi-shaded location for sowing parsley. The spice herb thrives best when no other umbelliferous plants have grown in the place 3 years earlier. By the way, these include caraway, anise, dill, fennel, celery.
Parsley loves loose soil. It is best to loosen the soil at least 30 cm deep, so that later good and strong roots can form.
In the garden it is easiest to sow the parsley in rows.
- Loosen the soil and add compost or horn meal to the bed.
- Draw rows at intervals of 15-20 centimeters. The grooves should be about 1.5 cm deep.
- Pour the grooves.
- Sprinkle the seeds.
- Cover them with earth. Press the earth with your hands.
- Always keep the surface moist. It can take up to 4 weeks depending on the temperature.
- When the plants are about 5 cm high, you should prick them.
- Gardeners recommend to maintain a planting distance of 10 cm.
But it also works if you continue to leave the plants in the row. Especially if you have not sown the rows too densely.
How to properly care for the parsley plant
Have you found the right location? Important: Do not place in direct sunlight. If the leaves have brown spots or are yellow, it may be that they have burned in the sun.
Water the plants regularly and do not let the soil dry out completely. But be careful: too much water does not taste the plants either.
Always water when the top layer of soil is dry.
Fertilizer the plant does not need. But in the garden it is worth it if you mix in some mature compost.
That's about it. Pretty simple, isn't it? :)
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Who is the perfect bed neighbor for parsley
If you plan your garden well, you will enjoy very rich harvest. Parsley loves leeks, onions, tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers near him.
What the spice herb does not like at all are kale, beans, broccoli and lettuce.
Also under no circumstances should other umbelliferous plants near parsley.
By the way, parsley is often infested by fleas or nematodes. You can prevent this problem by planting a marigold nearby.
Our conclusion
Sow and plant parsley is not difficult. However, you need patience for it. Do not be discouraged if 3 weeks have already passed without anything happening. Most often it is because the plants are still too cold. Pre-growing on the window sill is worthwhile.
Good luck and happy gardening!
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