Parsley is an intense green, strongly flavoured, biennial herb - which means it flowers and sets seed in its second year of growth.
Sometimes it will bolt to seed sooner than its second year - if it gets stressed.
Both flat (Italian) and curly parsley grow to about 30cm (12 inches) in height and spread until they flower.
When they go to seed and flower they can reach up to a meter (yard) tall.
The two most commonly grown culinary varieties are the curly parsley and the Italian or flat parsley.
Cultivation Parsley is a very easy herb to grow.
It's a great plant to start your herb garden with.
Another hardy and frost tolerant herb, parsley thrives in hot summers and wet, cool winters.
Grow your parsley in full sun (or part shade) in fertile, free draining soils.
Water well in really hot weather.
If you pick a lot of parsley remember to fertilize regularly to keep it growing strong.
Use an organic fertilizer or compost as a side dressing or mulch every four to six weeks while it's actively growing.
You can also use liquid fertilizers for additional feeds.
You can harvest your parsley at any time during the year.
Pick parsley by reaching right down to the base of the plant and give it a firm twist.
Harvest larger stems, leaving the smaller stems to grow large.
Removing flowering heads will help prolong the life of your parsley plants.
If you use a lot of parsley in your cooking you would probably want between four and eight plants to make sure you always have enough.
You may occasionally have snails take a bit of a liking to your parsley, but they are rarely much of a problem.
Just pull off any snails and feed them to your chickens or just squish them.
If you want to grow parsley from seed, plant in spring or summer and continue to keep the area moist.
Germination of parsley seed can take a long time - between three and six weeks.
So if you're growing from seed, don't give up.
Keep your seeds moist and expect it to happen.
If you allow your parsley plants to go to seed, it will self seed around your garden.
Uses: Garden, Culinary, Medicinal Parsley has a strong flavour and so is used widely in the kitchen to season soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, sauces, scrambled eggs and as a delicious garnish.
Parsley holds both its flavour and colour well when dried.
Spread out sprigs on netting and allow to dry.
Once it's dry you can chop it ready for use and store in an air-tight jar.
Seeds can also be harvested (make sure they are thoroughly dried) and stored in jars as a spice used in cooking.
Parsley is a useful herb and has many benefits attributed to it.
It has high Vitamin C content as well as many other minerals and trace elements.
And if you eat that parsley garnish on your plate after eating garlic, your "garlic breath" will be neutralized.
Its essential oil also has many uses - you need to consult your naturopath for more information.
Sometimes it will bolt to seed sooner than its second year - if it gets stressed.
Both flat (Italian) and curly parsley grow to about 30cm (12 inches) in height and spread until they flower.
When they go to seed and flower they can reach up to a meter (yard) tall.
The two most commonly grown culinary varieties are the curly parsley and the Italian or flat parsley.
Cultivation Parsley is a very easy herb to grow.
It's a great plant to start your herb garden with.
Another hardy and frost tolerant herb, parsley thrives in hot summers and wet, cool winters.
Grow your parsley in full sun (or part shade) in fertile, free draining soils.
Water well in really hot weather.
If you pick a lot of parsley remember to fertilize regularly to keep it growing strong.
Use an organic fertilizer or compost as a side dressing or mulch every four to six weeks while it's actively growing.
You can also use liquid fertilizers for additional feeds.
You can harvest your parsley at any time during the year.
Pick parsley by reaching right down to the base of the plant and give it a firm twist.
Harvest larger stems, leaving the smaller stems to grow large.
Removing flowering heads will help prolong the life of your parsley plants.
If you use a lot of parsley in your cooking you would probably want between four and eight plants to make sure you always have enough.
You may occasionally have snails take a bit of a liking to your parsley, but they are rarely much of a problem.
Just pull off any snails and feed them to your chickens or just squish them.
If you want to grow parsley from seed, plant in spring or summer and continue to keep the area moist.
Germination of parsley seed can take a long time - between three and six weeks.
So if you're growing from seed, don't give up.
Keep your seeds moist and expect it to happen.
If you allow your parsley plants to go to seed, it will self seed around your garden.
Uses: Garden, Culinary, Medicinal Parsley has a strong flavour and so is used widely in the kitchen to season soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, sauces, scrambled eggs and as a delicious garnish.
Parsley holds both its flavour and colour well when dried.
Spread out sprigs on netting and allow to dry.
Once it's dry you can chop it ready for use and store in an air-tight jar.
Seeds can also be harvested (make sure they are thoroughly dried) and stored in jars as a spice used in cooking.
Parsley is a useful herb and has many benefits attributed to it.
It has high Vitamin C content as well as many other minerals and trace elements.
And if you eat that parsley garnish on your plate after eating garlic, your "garlic breath" will be neutralized.
Its essential oil also has many uses - you need to consult your naturopath for more information.
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