The Best Time to Plant Parsley

Season and Temperature

• Parsley is a sensitive plant and requires a frost-free growing season. Start seeds indoors in pots at least six weeks before the last frost for transplant, or put seeds or transplants directly into the garden in mid-spring. Wait until the last frost lifts and temperatures reach 60 to 65 degrees F. The seeds can be slow to germinate.

Site

• Plant parsley in between larger plants in the garden or set aside individual parsley or herb plots. Give the plants full, all-day sun and good air circulation. Parsley grows leggy and sparse without adequate sunshine and warmth.

Soil and Nutrition

• Parsley thrives in loose, moist, nutritious soil. Turn 3 inches of organic compost into the top 4 to 5 inches of soil at planting to provide this foundation. Give parsley plants 5-10-5 fertilizer at planting and every month during the growing season if your parsley is growing in a container. Two applications are sufficient for the herb when it grows in a garden plot.

Maintenance and Harvest

• The University of Minnesota Extension notes that parsley requires good moisture content in the soil and recommends watering the plants deeply every week. Give each plant 3 to 4 inches of water to reach all the roots and use a thin layer of grass clippings as a mulch to protect soil quality. Harvest parsley stalks and leaves at need; gather the stems in a group and cut them off at soil level. Cutting the outside stalks will encourage growth.