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HerbsHardyBiennial

Parsley

Parsley is a classic culinary herb grown for curly or flat leaves and valued for its long harvest season in cooler weather. It is useful in herb gardens, mixed beds and containers, and often provides better leaf quality than tender annual herbs when temperatures dip.

Basic information

Category
Herbs
Lifecycle
Biennial
Hardiness
Hardy
Planting partners
3 companions · 1 crop to avoid

Growth profile

Days to harvest
75 days
Germination window
14–35 days
Germination temperature
18–21 °C
Plant spacing
20 cm
Row spacing
30 cm
Sowing depth
0.5 cm
Height
45 cm
Spread
20 cm

Calendar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Flowering / Harvest
Timings based on average frost dates in the UK. Sign up to set your frost dates.

Care tips

Expect parsley to germinate slowly and keep the seedbed or compost evenly moist until seedlings are established. Pick outer stems rather than stripping the centre, feed lightly if growth slows, and remove flower stems in the second year unless you are saving seed.

Common pests

Slugs, aphids, carrot fly, leaf spot.

Don’t grow with