Guv's Gardens
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sun
- Full sun to light or partial shade
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained, fertile soil
- Soil pH
- About 6.0-7.0 (acid to neutral)
- Water
- Keep evenly moist. Water deeply at least once a week. Keep the seedbed moist until seedlings emerge
- Hardiness
- Biennial usually grown as an annual. Overwinters in mild zones
- Height and spread
- About 8 in-3 ft tall x 8-12 in wide: curly types 8-14 in, flat-leaf types 2-3 ft
Guv's tipParsley seed is slow to germinate, so soak it first and keep the seedbed moist until the seedlings emerge. Patience, my friend.
Through the year
Months are a rough guide. Time it by your own frost dates.
When to plant
Mar-May (soak the slow-germinating seed); fall in the South
Harvest or flowering
Leaves May-Nov; flowers in the second year
Pruning
Harvest the outer stems
Making more plants
Seed
Watch out for
Black swallowtail caterpillar
Look for: Green-black-yellow striped caterpillars eating foliage
What to do: Tolerate or relocate (beneficial butterfly); plant extra
Aphids
Look for: Clusters of soft insects, sticky honeydew, curled leaves
What to do: Hose off; insecticidal soap; conserve lady beetles
Septoria leaf spot
Septoria petroseliniLook for: Small tan-brown leaf spots with dark specks
What to do: Remove infected leaves, avoid overhead water, clean seed, rotation
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Contains furanocoumarins, which can cause photosensitization (sunburn and dermatitis) in dogs, cats and horses, but only in large amounts (ASPCA, NC State Extension)
Weed risk: None known
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK and Australia.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 USA plants in one book.
