Parsley - Petroselinum crispum
400 Seeds
Sow all year round.
Hardy biennial.
Height 30-40cm (12-16in), spread 30cm (12in).
Prefers a rich, moist and deeply dug soil with full sun or light shade.
Early sowings can be made into pots or trays underglass at 15°C, lightly covering the seed with a sprinkling of compost. Sowings can also be made at regular intervals into small pots of compost on a warm light windowsill all year round. Alternatively sow seed thinly April to May direct outdoors where they are to crop, 1.5cm (½in) deep, into finely-prepared soil.
Glasshouse sowings can be pricked out into individual pots or trays and grown on under glass before gradually hardening off in a cold frame and planting out after all risk of frost has past. Outdoor sowings should be gradually thinned to an eventual spacing of 25cm (10in). Windowsill sowings can be harvested as required.
Parsley has thin, spindle-shaped roots, which produce erect, grooved, angular stems. The dark green upper leaves are dividend into featherlike sections and can be flat or curled, depending on the variety. The small greenish yellow flowers have five petals on compound umbels and appear in the summer of the second season. Grow near roses, asparagus and tomatoes to help them fight insect invaders.
Parsley - Curled
Also known as Common, Garden and Rock Parsley.
From the family Apiaceae.
It is thought to have originated in Sardinia but the plant has been altered significantly by cultivation. In mythology, parsley was believed to have sprung from a Greek hero, Archemorous, the forerunner of death. Greeks crowned winners at the Isthmian games with parsley and warriors fed the leaves to their horses. The Romans were the first to use it as a food and made garlands for banquet quests to discourage intoxication and to counter strong odours.