Most people think of parsley as that green stuff on their plates in restaurants. It is actually a very useful herb. It is also very nutritious. Parsley is easy to grow and can be grown in containers indoors during the winter for year-round availability.
Different Varieties
Parsley comes in curly and flat-leaf. They are both grown the same. It is a cool-weather crop so would be planted in early February in North East Texas. Parsley can also be planted in the fall. It doesn’t do well in the summer heat.
Planting Parsley
Parsley seed is very small. It must be planted at 1/4 inch deep or less — just barely covered with soil, in other words. It is important to use fresh seeds each year as the germination rate decreases rapidly as the seed ages.
Thinning
When the seeds sprout, you thin the plants to one every 1-2 inches. The rows need to be 6-12 inches apart. The other option is to grow the parsley as a mat of plants with no space between them.
Watering and Fertilization
Parsley grows quickly but has shallow roots. That means it needs regular water and fertilization because it can’t reach down very far in the soil. Keep the soil moist but not squishy.
Harvesting and Storage
To harvest parsley, you snip off the leaves when they are big enough. You then wash them and store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will keep up to two weeks like that. You can dry the leaves for later use, or freeze them. If you want to freeze the leaves, put them on a cookie sheet and then put that in the freezer until the leaves are frozen. Then remove them from the cookie sheet and stack them in a plastic bag. Since the leaves are frozen separately, you will be able to get just what you need.
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