Parsley: varieties, growing and uses

How to create your own herb-growing space

Plant or sow a flat-leaved and a curled choice side by side. Tasting finely chopped leaves of each on the same neutral base makes flavour and mouthfeel easy to compare. Feel free to use the curled form in a dish; a decorative plate garnish is not compulsory. A larger leaf harvest from the flat form is useful for a green herb salad.

Choose a suitable growing position

Give slow-germinating seed time and a clear label. An empty pot after a few days does not prove nothing will appear. Keep the surface gently moist and prevent a hard, dry crust. For anyone wanting a quick harvest, a nursery-grown young plant alongside the sowing can be a useful intermediate step.

From plant to kitchen

A plant producing a flower stalk in its second year is following its life cycle. If desired, let one flower and prepare a new leaf crop in time. In a small garden, you can use a second pot for this. Recording age and sowing date helps you plan better next year.

Plan the next harvest

Cut outer stalks and leave the centre intact. This keeps harvesting visible and manageable. Do not make an ever-deeper bare hollow in the rosette; if the plant becomes exhausted, replacing it is often more logical than expecting old material to keep giving the same quality.

Scent, flavour and use

Flat-leaf parsley generally tastes stronger, clean and lightly peppery; curled forms are often somewhat milder. Taste the actual leaves, not just the label.

Care, cutting and harvesting

Fertile, moisture-retentive soil with drainage, in sun or light shade. Seed can germinate slowly; keep the sowing position marked and moist.

No woody pruning. Parsley is biennial and often flowers in its second year; new plants keep the leaf harvest going.

Take outer stalks and let the heart keep growing. Use healthy, fresh leaves rather than old, yellowing material.