Growing parsley from seed: A step by step guide

Parsley is a staple in many kitchens, this culinary herb has bright green leaves and a refreshing, slightly peppery flavour. While this is a herb that is easy to find in a supermarket, growing your own parsley from seed, is very rewarding and will ensure you have a fresh supply whenever you need it.

What you need to grow your Parsley herb:

Parsley seeds: Choose whichever you prefer, the three main types of parsley are French, Italian and Curly. There are slight differences in each variety, which you may want to consider.

• French Parsley is possibly the most used variety in the UK, it can also be known as flat leaved parsley. The flavour is fresh, peppery and a slight hint of citrus.
• French parsley is generally considered to have the strongest taste of the three.
• Italian Parsley is very similar to French Parsley, both in appearance and taste. The Leaves are slightly larger however, this can be hard to spot. The flavour profile is very similar to French, but can be slightly milder.
• Curly Parsley as you may expect, has curly leaves and a ruffled texture, the flavour is more subtle when compared to French and Italian. This Parsley is often used for garnish, as when it’s cooked the flavour diminishes.

Seed tray or some small pots: Drainage is key when it comes to choosing a pot or cell tray. Make sure whichever you choose has holes in the bottom. When it comes to pot or cell size aim from 5-10cm in diameter.

Compost: A decent quality multi-purpose will work very well for this job, make sure it is not too lumpy, or this will make the job harder. You could also use a seed and cutting compost.

Labels (optional): Labelling your seeds when you sow them can be important, especially if you are sowing more than one type of seed.

Propagator (optional): Using a propagator for growing seeds can make the job a lot easier and often quicker. This is not essential to grow parsley successfully but may help.

When can I sow Parsley seeds:

If growing indoors, parsley can technically be sown all year round. As long as you have a sunny windowsill, or propagator your plants will grow well. If sowing the seeds outside, wait until after the last frost of winter and sow between April and July. Parsley seed need a temperature of between 18-21 degrees Celsius to germinate at its best. For sowing indoors this is not an issue but keep an eye on the weather for outdoor sowing. You can also sow your seeds indoors and then pot them outside as the weather improves, this will give your plants a head start.

A step-by-step Guide

1.Fill your pot or cell tray with compost: Place some compost into your chosen container, do not be tempted to compact the compost, rather place it in, almost all the way to the top. Leaving compost just shy of the top will aid watering.

2.Sow your seeds: Empty your seeds onto a plate or your hand. Using a plate makes them much easier to handle, as parsley seeds are small. Sow the seeds thinly on the surface. Aim for around 8-16 seeds per pot or cell.

3.Cover the seeds: Gently cover the seeds with some more compost. You are aiming to only just cover the parsley seed. The ideal amount of compost to cover your seeds with is around 1-4mm, this does not have to be that accurate, but gives you an idea.

4.Watet the seeds: Now to water your seeds, do this gently, you do not want to wash the seeds and compost away. A good technique is to water lightly over the top at first. Once this water has soaked in, repeat the process until you start to see water coming out of the base of the pot or tray.

5.Add warmth and light: Place your seeds in a warm, light position. Parsley germinates best at 18-21 degrees Celsius.

6. Patients: Parsley seeds can take a bit of time to germinate, expect to wait 2-4 weeks to start seeing signs of growth. During this time, keep the compost moist but not too wet.

Once your seeds start to sprout and grow, keep the compost moist but not too wet, over the coming weeks, your plants will grow quite quickly. Be patient, allow the parsley to establish enough to a good strong plant, before cutting or transplanting.