There's a legend which says that parsley seeds have to travel 7 times to the devil and back before it will germinate! That means that it's slow.

Seeds may need to be scarified. (Pour boiling water over them and leave overnight before sowing.) Sow seeds 5mm deep. Germination may also be hastened by freezing seeds briefly to help break dormancy. Germination is slow and may take several weeks. When transplanting, be careful not to damage the taproot. Initial growth of plants is slow. More mature parsley plants may bolt to seed if transplanted [in other words, parsley is best sown in situ, because it doesn't like being transplanted]. Grow in sun or partial shade and keep soil moist. In the second year of growth, remove flower stalks to extend foliage life. Prefers a fertile soil, pH 5.0-7.0. Plants will send up flower stalks in the second year and will usually self-seed. One 20-30cm pot, at least 30cm deep, will accommodate one mature parsley plant, or 3 dwarf plants. Keep soil in pots moist and fertilise once a month.

Be patient, and don't overwater those seeds. Seeds don't drink, but the soil around them needs to be kept moist.

hi daisyduckworth,

thanks for the info. I am happy today as the first few signs of my parsley plant has sprouted from the soil. This is my first herb grown and me and my wife are very happy. I just need to ask some more questions.

1. "Germination may also be hastened by freezing seeds briefly to help break dormancy."
how long should i freeze it and at what temperature is good?

2."Keep soil in pots moist and fertilise once a month. "
what fertilizer should i use? I saw the gardening shop sell the liquid spray fish fertilizer, is that good?

3. "Prefers a fertile soil, pH 5.0-7.0. "
Should i test the soil ph every 2 weeks? If the ph is too acidic or alkaline, how can i bring it down?

4. When I want to cook with parsly, how do I cut it and make sure it does not damage the herbs and it will allow it to regrow again properly? Any good websites you know which gives goood recipe to use parsley for cooking? I am leaning to use natural herbs in my cooking.

For the last 1 week, I have been using an artifical 40 w bulb to give light to my parsley at night. Can I keep doing this or best to use natural light only since the sprout has grown out of the soil.

Is there tips to speed up the parsley growth and make it have flowers quickly? How can i harvest the seeds to start a new parsley family?

Now that I have grown parsely, what the next herb that I can grow which uses the same growing strategy as parsley?

I am very excited so that is why i am asking so many questions.

I can answer some of those...
1) simply sticking the seeds in the freezer can help... pretend it's winter for them.

2) That's quite heavy fertilization... you can do that, but I'd water it down a bit.

3) Most potting soil is a bit acid, I wouldn't worry about it. The word to notice is PREFERS... doesn't say HAS TO HAVE.

4) I don't know about recipes... but you can snip a leaf here or there... I wouldn't trim more than a 3rd of the plant.

a 40watt bulb probably isn't good for the plant... can you keep it at least in a southern window? You don't want it to go to seed THAT fast... then you won't have parsley! It's an annual and will die after that.

Hi heathen1,
thanks for the reply. Need to clarify some of the info you gave.

1. "pretend it's winter for them."
how long should i keep them in the fridge? 1 week is ok.

2."That's quite heavy fertilization... you can do that, but I'd water it down a bit. "
I am planning to buy the kellway soil pH tester, when i water the fertilizer down, what pH should it be? Is it like daisy stated around 5-7.

3. "a 40watt bulb probably isn't good for the plant... can you keep it at least in a southern window?"
What bulb would you recommend? I am living in australia and the weather has been very cloudy the last 2 weeks. If I put it outside during summer, the summer here is scorching hot, temperature 35-40C with 12 hours of direct sunlight but that kind of weather will start in january.

appreciate any feedback you or any other members can give.

pH 7.0 is neutral. Lower numbers indicate acidity, and higher numbers indicate alkalinity. To sweeten soil (make it less acid = increase alkalinity), add dolomite according to package instructions. To increase acidity (make it less alkaline), add sulphur according to packaging instructions.

Know what, Rezan? I never actually fertilise my herbs. I just scatter a handful or two of compost around them, especially those in pots because potted soils become depleted more quickly. It's a good topper-upper. I do it regularly once or twice or year, if I remember. I have an itty-bitty garden, with no space to make my own compost, so I just buy it by the bag.

6 weeks in the fridge, or 1 week in the freezer, is a fair duplication of winter for most seeds.

Harvesting: Leaves can be harvested as soon as the plants reach about 15cm tall, and producing leaves with three segments. Lower, outside, leaves should be harvested first, leaving the centre top leaves to mature. First season of growth has the best flavour. Roots may be harvested once plants are mature. They can be dried or frozen for future use. Store freely picked moistened sprigs in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for 2 weeks. Freeze chopped leaves in plastic bags or blended in water or meat or vegetable stock and frozen in an ice cube tray up to 6 months. Parsley also dries well in a regular or microwave oven, although it loses some flavor. Store dried parsley in an airtight jar for up to a year. Rule of thumb: never remove more than about one-third of total growth at any one time, and allow the plant to regrow before harvesting again.

You do NOT want parsley to produce flowers too quickly! Once a parsley begins to flower, the leaves take on a much more coarse (and to some people, unpleasant) flavour. It will always begin to flower in its second year anyway. Parsley is a biennial.

However, if I'm wrong and you DO want it to flower quickly, a fairly good way of going about it is to transplant it, and be rough about it. The parsley will think it's going to die, and hurry up with the baby-making process. It's called 'bolting to seed'. It can also happen if you're having very hot weather, or if you give your parsley a really hard time (over-harvest, over-feed, under-water etc). Treat it too roughly, of course, and it will die before the babies come along!

The thing is not to panic! More plants die from too much attention than from neglect!

As for the next herb, choose one you'd like. We can't do that for you, though we can share information once you've made your choice. None of the commonly used culinary herbs is very difficult to grow, and there are some excellent sites on the WWW to be found just by searching for something like 'growing name-of-herb'.

hi daisy,

thanks a lot for the advice. Your knowledge is making my parsely growing experiance very beneficial.

I will try doing what you have suggested and keep you all posted of my parsley growth whenever i have a question.

Any good book for a beginner like me to buy to teach me the basics and in and out of growing herbs?

In the future, i would like to germinate my plants myself and harvest the seeds for future plants . I would like to grow them from seeds. When my parsley start flowering, i will contact the members here.

Any other advice or tips to ensure my parsley grows as healthily as possible. Things like maintaining soil pH, moisturity, sunlight and etc? Is there some some soil kit where can test the soil and make sure my plant is growing well.

Rezan, I wish you'd put the fact that you were in Oz.... I would have taken that into consideration... sheez! that's what the zone space is for. How can I be expected to read your mind and tell the conditions you are in if you don't tell me! I WISH I had ESP!

Rezan - can I just ask you why you are growing your parsley indoors? Perhaps you don't have a garden? It is a fairly hardy herb and is much happier outside if your climate allows. I would have thought that in Australia in December it would be fine outside maybe with some shading. It is a plant of temperate Europe and likes cool, well watered slightly shady conditions. I think, to be honest with you, that you are worrying far too much about this parsley. Just sow it outdoors, keep it watered in a drought and wait. It is slow to germinate but once it comes up it will look after itself. It is not a delicate exotic.If it is already growing in pots place them outside unless you are expecting a frost. Daisy in is Oz - and she knows her herbs. Listen to anything she tells you.

hi flora,

"can I just ask you why you are growing your parsley indoors?"
i don't have a proper garden in my place.

I am bit excited as this is my herb in my life that i have grown. So maybe that why i am worrying so much, hehehe. I am really excited to grow something that i can put in my food. I am really a city dweller so this parsley herb has been a real eye opener for me.

Anyhow, my parsley is sprouting well and when i have some time , i will post the picture here. I

My wife transplanted some basil she bought in the supermarket from small pot to a bigger one and it is growing well. She tried doing it with the coriander and parsley herb and it all died. That is why i decided to grow the parsley from seed. I am looking forward to apply my knowledge in growing parsley to basil and coriander. I hope everything goes well.

thanks for the advice.

Hi daisy,

My parsley is growing very well now. I have taken a photo here;

My wife bought some parsley from the shop and transplanted it. Initially it was doing well, now the leaves are getting brown. I have put a photo here;

Any advice to fix the problem? My wife also transplanted some basil and it is doing well. Recently i noticed the same problem with the leaves, a photo is shown below;

Hope anyone can help me as i would like to see my herbs grow green and fresh.

The parsley just looks like unhappy parsley. It doesn't transplant very well because it has a tap root and dislikes disturbance. The leaves look as if the roots are not taken up enough nutrients.

As for the basil, have a thorough look all around the pot. Underneath, under the rim and in the top centimetre of soil. It looks as if you might have a snail or slug living in there.

hi flora,

what can i do about the transplanted parsley? Should i add more fertilizer to make it grow better?

I will check the basil for snails. If there those critters, how can i get rid of them without damaging the basil?

As for my healthy parsley, can i start snipping a little to use it for cooking?

rez

Snails/slugs. Just pick them off and kill them however you want to. I squash them.

I would not fertilise the parsley. How would you like to be given a rich dinner when you were feeling unwell? Look at the centre of your plant and you can see healthy looking green growth. Just leave your parsley in peace. Pick off any leaves which die. And yes, snip or pick some to use.

Not meaning to be unkind but I think you are obsessing rather over these plants. You will learn to understand them with practice and observation.

Hi flora,

thanks for the advice. I am not obsessing but excited as this are my first time growing herbs.just want to give them the best chance to grow.

rez

hi flora,

i check for snails in my basil plant and could not find any snails. I did find some small bugs running on the soil and I would presume they are not harmful to the plant. They look like small ants with tiny wings.

I trimmed all the bad leaves on my basil and parsley and notice the basil stem had some brownish patch growing on it. I have taken some photo's here;

{{gwi:920958}}

i was wondering if my basil is sick? if so, what should i do? I also notice the soil get very dried up here under the aussie sun so i am filling up the watering pot daily. is that ok?

i appreciate any advice on the above matter from any of the readers.

Basil naturally gets brown and almost woody at the base of older stems and I think that is what has happened to most of the stems in the photos. But I also notice mildew on some dead material and one of the stems looks as if it might be rotting rather than maturing. It's hard to tell from pictures. Remove any dead material and don't let it go mouldy. Also water from below not on the soil. ie stand the pot in a dish of water until the surface shows damp. Then remove the pot from the water and allow it to drain. Do not water again until the plant starts to droop slightly. More plants die of overwatering than underwatering. Don't worry about heat. Basil loves it. The bugs could be fungus gnats which thrive in damp conditions.

Thanks flora for the info. I think i have been overwatering them and that is why some of leaves looks mouldy.

As for watering, it is hard to tell when the plant is droopy. Can i water it when the soil is dry and not moist?

As for the fungus gnats, should i buy some insecticide? Can you recommend any good ones? just curious, will using insectide be dangerous on the basil leaves for cooking?

sorry for so many questions.

rez

Personally I don't use any insecticides on anything, ever. If they are fungus gnats they are a symptom of the too damp conditions. Killing them would not improve the conditions which encourage them. If you allow the soil to dry out more they will go away. When I say droopy I mean visibly droopy ie leaves hanging down and floppy. Even if the soil looks dry on top it will probably still have moisture lower down so the appearance of the surface is not a good guide to whether a plant needs watering. Again experience will tell you when it's thirsty. Let the plant tell you when it's feeling dry - as you get more familiar with it you will be able to tell before it gets drooy but as a start it will do no harm wait until it actually begins to wilt a little.

If you put a 1/4" layer of coarse sand over the top of the soil it might eliminate some of your problems because the sand dries out quickly, but not the soil underneath. Also, since you're using a pot(s) you should also water from the bottom up by soaking the pots in a deep pail or bowl when needed.

thanks for the advice.

As general rule of thumb, how many days on average do you water your plant flora? I have a basil in a medium pot and i usually water it before every 2 days. Since that may be over watering, i will do as advise and wait until it becomes droopy. If you have a picture of how a droopy plant looks like, I would appreciate it.

thanks westelle for the advice. My basil has a watering bowl at the bottom and it usually dries out within few hours under the aussie sun.

anybody use those self watering crystals they sell in the gardening shop? The crystals absorb water and releases slowly into the soil over time.

I know this may sound stupid, but is there any scientific experiments that i can run on my herbs? I am a science major and would like to do some experimentation. For example, is there a way to measure like soil pH versus solar radiation absorb during the day?

rezan - I am in the UK and consequently grow my basil under glass and can't give you guidance on watering in Australia. Suffice to say once a week is ample over here - but I don't water to a schedule and nor should you. I can't give you any rules about watering - it all depends on your conditions. At the moment my basil is pretty well dead so no photos available. But I'm sure you can imagine a droopy plant. If not cut a piece of your basil and leave it in a jar without water. It will droop for you by way of demonstration. Then put water in the jar and watch.

Daisyduckworth -please come in on this and tell rezan that basil isn't rocket science.

LOL. Basil isn't rocket science!

The long and short of it is that your plants just simply are not happy indoors. When plants are outside, they can get infested with assorted bugs, but there are usually other bugs to deal with the problem. Indoors, your plants just can't get anyone on side to help them through an infestation.

Indoor plants are also very susceptible to over-watering, and I think that is the case here. The worst thing you can do right now is to fertilise your plants. If you're sick, you don't want to be obliged to munch your way through a 12-course banquet, do you? Same with plants.

Similarly, if your plants are indoors, almost certainly you'll have the pots sitting on a saucer which collects excess water. Most plants do not like such constantly wet feet. Make sure to empty those saucers as often as they fill up.

Indoor plants do not get the same light as outdoor plants. Any sunlight that does come in is filtered through glass - leaving some of the needed rays outside. If you can possibly get your plants outside, even onto a sunny balcony, then do it, pronto.

I notice in the photos that you've got umpteen plants in the one pot. Not a good idea, especially when your pot isn't all that big to start with. Select the least healthy of them all, and either try potting them up separately, or discard them. Remember that basil can become a LARGE plant (maybe come up to your waist, and about 2-3 times as wide as you are (or should be!). Parsley can get fairly big, too. Pot size is important - the root system should not be squashed or crowded in any way.

Waddya mean 'no proper place in my garden' for your herbs? Speaking in straightforward Aussie style, I say 'Balderdash' to that. For the basil, any sunny position is suitable. For the parsley, you can choose between full sun or partial shade. Both are attractive plants, and both will be far happier outside. If you haven't got a suitable place, then make one. Herbs can look amazingly attractive in any garden setting - in amongst the roses, even. Parsley especially makes a very attractive border.

Once your plants are outside, you'll find you'll have far fewer problems with them. Potted plants are high maintenance, herbs in the garden are pretty much maintenance-free. Just a drink now and then, and a haircut from time to time (harvesting provides that), and that's about it.

Still, if you insist on keeping your plants in pots, here's a little trick to test if it needs watering or not. It's called the Finger Test. Simply poke your finger as far as it will go into the soil. If the tip of your finger feels damp, don't water. If it feels dry, give the plant a drink. Nothing complicated about it at all.

thanks daisyduckworth and flora. I am learning a lot on growing herbs. At the moment i am planting the basil in the pots and i am leaving them on my unit balcony.

Just to clarfiy something daisy said:
"I notice in the photos that you've got umpteen plants in the one pot."

I have about 3-4 basil plants growing near each other. My wife bought it from the supermarket and replanted them about 2 months ago. They have grown quite big, about 50cm in height and quite close together. From what daisy said, i should replant them separately as they might be growing together with their roots entangled. i will try this. This could be why my plant is sick.

thanks for all the advice and hope not to make basil rocket science.

Can fresh, store bought, cut parsely be stuck in some potting soil and rooted like a tomato cutting???? Just curious. I have parsely in my fridge for over a week in a cup of cold water and it still looks like when I bought it.

Simple answer - no. Eat up that parsley and buy a plant or some seeds if you want to grow your own.

Thanks. wILL DO.

Sometimes store bought parsely can form roots while in water, but they tend to die out after attempted transplants into soil. The same holds true for basil, but basil will survive a transplant.

I have a life and death situation with parsley, lol!
I need to know the following information and would apprecaite some input from more experienced and greener thumbs.

1. How fast does parsley grow? And, what size should I expect in a healthy cluster of plants?
2. In zone 7, (where I live in Oklahoma) how will it tolerate the heat?
3. Does it thrive throughout the summer too?
4. I've purchased young 2-3 inche plants and repotted them in rich soil. About thrity small clusters in all. Will I see shock in the plants if it loosened the roots like you normally do with other plants prior to replanting?
5. How quickly does it regrow when cut?

Thanks,
Keith

Many variables here. Soil quality, heat, sunlight, and such are some of the most important. Soil nutrients are also important for good growth. For most plants, you can't speed up mother nature very much.. Just be patient and let them grow. Most any plant that is moved from a pot to the soil can get some kind of trama. Just water it and care for it for a few weeks, on a daily basis, and it should recover quite well.

Is it feasible to bring a pot of parsley indoors for the winter and have it grow so I can harvest some? Or do I have to make do with dried or purchased parsley in the winter?
Daphne in Tacoma, Washington

If you have parsley already growing in a pot, you might try it, but don't dig it, pot it and expect it to grow. I, myself, haven't had good luck bringing it in, but you may do better if you have the right conditions.

what daisyduckworth said about pouring boiling water over the seeds doesn't sound right - this would surely kill the embryos, 'cause, you know, that's what boiling water does, it kills things, that's why we sterilize things in it (and yes I meant to say that facetiously).

and scarification means to scratch the seedcoat a little.

in general you just have to wait for parsley germinate, and it's a long wait. Soaking the seeds in water (NOT BOILING) overnight before planting will help

Don't agonize! Herbs are hardy; parsley is an annual and for winter use can be frozen or put into an olive oil emulsion (just don't use it if it looks or smells a bit off--it can go bad); basil loves the outdoors and gets really, really big unless you get the globe type; herbs that are fertilized usually have a lot of growth and very little flavor. Like humans, herbs that have faced a little adversity are much more interesting than the babied ones!
There is a wonderful book, Growing Herbs from Seed, Cutting & Root, An Adventure in Small Miracles by Thomas DeBaggio. It will tell you more than you need to know about almost any herb. As for recipes, experiment! First taste the herb fresh-picked, all on its own, and decide if you want it mixed with fish, poultry, vegetables, etc. Herbs are fun, tasty and usually easy to grow. Just sit back and enjoy!