Beautiful, productive, and always welcome in the kitchen, parsley is also one of the healthiest herbs you can grow. The dark green leaves are packed with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate, iron, and a long list of antioxidants. Parsley was used medicinally to support kidney health by the Greeks and Romans, and modern science has validated its use as a medicinal herb.
Every garden needs parsley, but there’s a catch. The seeds have a well-deserved reputation for erratic germination, but starting your own seedlings is hugely worthwhile. It saves a ton of money compared to buying plants, and lets you fill the season with distinctive, diversified types of parsley.
![Parsley seeds]()
Don't waste time on old seed, which is less likely to germinate well
1. Use Fresh Seed
Like closely related carrots, parsley seeds lose viability quickly, and should be replaced after two years. Older seeds are especially slow to sprout, if they sprout at all, and you don’t want to waste a month waiting for seedlings that will never appear. Buying fresh seeds every other year is money well spent, because you will never be without seeds when you need them.
Or, grow your own seeds if you live in a climate where the plants can be nursed through winter.
Parsley is a biennial, so when mature plants get a good winter chill, they burst into bloom the following spring. If you patiently wait for the seeds to ripen to brown, you can harvest a robust crop of seeds from a pair of parsley plants, with plenty of extras to share at local seed swaps.
![Flat-leaf parsley]()
Flat-leafed parsley is preferred for freezing, or for combining with basil or other herbs in pesto
2. Grow Different Types
There is nothing like finely curled parsley for edging a raised bed, bringing mossy green texture to container gardens, or adding pop to the dinner plate. Cold tolerant and easy to grow, the drawback to triple-curled parsley is that it can be difficult to clean. And, in damp climates, the filly leaves can hold so much moisture that they develop disease issues. If you plan to dry your extra parsley, modestly curled varieties like Wega and Evergreen are easy to clean, and they keep their color well when dried.
Flat-leafed parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum) prefers slightly warmer growing conditions, so there is no hurry to start seeds right away. The upright plants can be hugely productive, especially Italian Giant, which grows to 15 inches (38 cm) tall and wide. Many cooks prefer flat-leafed parsley for pestos and salads, and it’s the best parsley for rolling into logs and freezing.
![Priming parsley seeds]()
Priming improves uniformity of slow-sprouting parsley seeds
3. Prime Parsley Seeds Before Planting
Parsley seedcoats contain coumarins and other compounds that inhibit germination, but the priming process rinses some of them away, thus speeding up the sprouting process. Primed parsley seeds are up and growing after 10 days or so under warm conditions, compared to 30 days for unprimed seeds. Prime parsley seeds by covering them with very warm (110°F/43°C) water, and let sit overnight. Pour off any seeds that float, and strain the others onto a paper towel. Sow when the seeds are dry enough to handle.
![Parsley seedling]()
Light and warmth is needed to grow seeds into sturdy seedlings
4. Provide Warm Conditions
Parsley seeds will sprout under cold conditions, but germination is best between 65°F and 75°F (18°C-24°C). Barely cover primed seed with seed-starting mix, and top with a pinch of vermiculite to help retain surface moisture. Locate seeded flats in a warm room, covered with domes or old cookie sheets to reduce moisture loss. Move under grow lights after a week, even if you have yet to see sprouts appear. They are on their way.
![Parsley seedlings]()
Parsley seedlings grow best with constant light moisture
5. Keep Seedlings Moist
Keep a spray bottle handy for giving the planted seeds a good drench at least once a day. Bottom water if needed to keep the soil from drying out. Even one serious drying episode can harm germinating parsley seeds. After the seedling leaves appear, there is often a wait for the first true leaves. Be patient.
![Potting on parsley]()
Parsley seedlings growing in roomy containers can wait for good transplanting conditions.
6. Pot Up to Larger Containers
Young parsley seedlings with only two or three new leaves are easy to transplant to larger containers, but they need not be separated into single plants. Parsley does well when grown in pairs provided the pots have ample root space. Gradually accustom plants to sunlight and wind, and set them out in mid spring, about a month before your last frost date. Use tunnels or cloches to protect the plants from cold winds.
![Parsley in autumn]()
Growing parsley through autumn and winter poses few challenges
7. Start More Seeds in Late Summer
Let’s hope you have a great season and harvest more parsley than you need, but should animals or diseases get in the way, start over by sowing a few seeds in late summer. You can keep plants in pots through winter or grow them outdoors in mulched beds. Well established parsley plants are hardy to about 10°F (-12°C).
