When to Plant Parsley Plants

Prepare the Soil

• When the last frost has passed, check the soil temperature. It should be at least 50 degrees F, and no lower. If you intend to plant your parsley straight into the native soil and not a container or raised garden you'll need to do a bit of work to make the soil accommodating. Work the soil at least 8 inches down with a trowel. Remove rocks, pebbles and any other hard debris that might inhibit growth. Add some peat moss, compost or chopped leaves to the soil to increase its ability to hold water and improve drainage. This will give your parsley the best environment for optimum growth.

Prepare the Seeds

• Parsley seeds don't germinate easily. Start them in a loamy soil and keep the seeds moist for several hours a day. You can also soak the seeds overnight in warm water to give them a kick start in germinating. Start the seedlings about 14 days before the time you want to plant them outside to ensure the last frost has passed. You should plant the seeds at 1/4 inch into the soil and maintain them at a temperature of about 70 degrees F.

Planting Times

• Northern climates tend to have late freezes. In these areas, wait until May or June to plant your parsley outdoors. This also applies to northernmost regions in New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. The Rocky Mountain region is also prone to late freezes, as well as southern Nebraska. Most of New England and the Pacific Northwest should also wait until May to plant outdoors.

  The lower Midwestern states of Missouri, southern Iowa, eastern Nebraska, southern Illinois and the bottom half of Indiana should plant parsley between April and June. Gardeners in the Texas Panhandle and southern New Mexico, up through the Appalachian states should also plant during this time. The Atlantic coastal states of New Jersey and Virginia can also plant between April and June, along with the eastern portion of North Carolina.

  Central California, northern Texas and the northern half of states in the deep south may plant parsley between March and May. This includes northern Mississippi, most of Arkansas and Louisiana, southern Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

  In the warmest regions of the country, you have an opportunity to plant your parsley twice a year: from January to April and from August to October. These areas include southern California, south Texas and the southern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Understand Your Planting Zone

• The United States is comprises multiple planting zones to help gardeners know when to plant flowers, fruit and vegetable seeds. For example, the state of Texas encompasses zones 6a through 11. This is a wide spectrum of climates and regions and it is important to know where your location fits into these zones to have the best planting results. Zones indicate the lowest normal temperature for that region. Zone 11 falls no lower than 40 degrees F, while zone 6a may fall to minus 10 degrees. Zones also help gardeners know when the last hard freeze the area will experience, if it is prone to freezes.