Herb · Apiaceae
Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Give it rich soil, steady moisture, and a little patience at sowing, and parsley keeps the kitchen in fresh leaves.
Full sun
Every 2–4 days
50–75°F · 10–24°C
70–90 days
Overview
Parsley is the quiet anchor of a kitchen garden, a carrot-family herb whose bright, clean-tasting leaves earn it a place within arm's reach of the stove. It arrives in two familiar styles, the tightly ruffled curly type and the more relaxed flat-leaf Italian type, the latter the one to plant when flavor leads. Either settles happily into a raised bed or a pot on a sunny sill, where it reads as fresh and lived-in rather than fussy.
Its biennial nature sets the tempo of a season. The first year gives all its energy to leaves, and that leafy stretch is the harvest that keeps the kitchen supplied. By the second year the plant turns toward a flower stalk and the foliage loses its softness, so most gardeners keep the look fresh by starting again from seed each spring.
Once it finds its footing, parsley asks for very little attention, the sort of low-key green that fits a busy routine. The seed does take its time, sometimes weeks to appear, and the taproot below prefers to stay put. Sow it where it will live, keep the soil evenly moist, and it returns months of cutting for the table.
Care
The short version: full sun to part shade, rich well-drained soil kept evenly moist, and a steady monthly feed to keep fresh leaves within reach all season.
Light
Parsley is at its best in full sun, yet it accepts partial shade with ease, which makes it a forgiving choice for a windowsill or corner that loses the afternoon light. Where summers run hot, a little shade through the worst of the day keeps the leaves soft and the pot looking fresh.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist and never let the plant go bone dry, a point that matters most for pots and through hot spells. Watering every 2 to 4 days tends to hold the balance, and it pays to stop short of soggy, since standing wet at the roots invites rot.
Soil
Set it in rich, well-drained loam worked with compost so the mix holds moisture without turning heavy. A pH between 6.0 and 7.0, from slightly acidic to neutral, keeps it content.
Temperature
Parsley favors cool to mild weather, growing best from 50°F to 75°F (10°C to 24°C). It takes a light frost in stride, though a long hot spell nudges it toward bolting and a loss of its fresh flavor.
Humidity
Ordinary indoor humidity of 40% to 60% suits parsley without any fuss. Airflow does more than the number here, since leaves left damp in still, crowded air are where leaf spot takes hold.
Feeding
Feed it monthly through the growing season with a balanced fertilizer or a side-dressing of compost. That steady rhythm is what keeps fresh leaves arriving after each cutting.
Pruning
Harvest is the pruning, a happy overlap for a kitchen herb. Cut the outer stems at the base once the plant has settled, and picking often draws new growth from the center. In the second year, snap off flower stalks as they appear to hold off bolting a while.
Repotting
Parsley in a pot appreciates a fresh start about once a year, since its taproot soon fills a container. Roots circling the mix, quick drying, and pale, stunted top growth all signal it is time to pot up or, more often, resow.
Size & spacing
Parsley keeps a tidy, compact frame, reaching 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm) tall and spreading 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) across. Give each plant that much room so air moves and the leaves dry between waterings, which keeps a grouping looking neat.
When to plant
Parsley is cold-hardy and steps into the season early. Start the seed indoors in late winter or direct-sow in early spring a few weeks before the last frost, and the first year keeps the kitchen in cut leaves. The flower stalk and seed belong to the second year.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: Early spring, a few weeks before the last frost; parsley is cold-hardy
- Harvest: Harvest outer leaves once plants are full in the first year; flowers and seeds form in the second year
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Parsley is an easygoing herb, and most of what goes wrong shows up on the leaves or follows soil left too wet. Learn the few common signs and a small pot on the sill stays looking its best. Match what you see below, then step in while it still helps.
Stems give way at the base while the roots turn soft and dark
This is stem and root rot, the quiet result of soil left too wet in a pot that drains too slowly. Once the base has softened there is no reviving the plant, so it is kindest to lift it and start over. Put the drainage right before you replant, and keep a lighter hand on the watering can for anything sitting in a decorative container.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected plants
- Improve drainage before replanting
Tan to brown spots edged in dark marking their way across the leaves
Those blemishes are Septoria leaf spot, a fungus that settles in wherever foliage stays wet and the air turns close and humid. It tends to begin low and hidden inside the plant, then works outward and merges the longer the leaves stay damp, dulling the fresh green look a kitchen herb is meant to bring. Give the planting room to breathe, water down at the soil line, and clear away the spotted leaves to keep the display crisp.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected leaves
- Improve air circulation by thinning plants
- Avoid overhead watering
A tall flower stalk rises and the leaves turn tough and bitter
This is bolting, the moment a biennial like parsley steps out of its leafy prime in the second year and reaches for flower and seed. Heat and stress can bring the change on sooner, and once the stalk climbs there is no coaxing the plant back. Rather than fight it, treat parsley as an annual, replant each spring, and harvest generously while the leaves are at their freshest.
Fix:
- Start new plants from seed each year rather than maintaining biennials
- Harvest heavily before bolting
- Remove flower stalks to briefly prolong leaf production
Leaves chewed away by plump green caterpillars banded in black and yellow
The visitor is the parsleyworm, the caterpillar of the eastern black swallowtail, and it can clear a pot on the windowsill of its outer leaves before you notice. Lift the caterpillars off by hand if the plant is small, or relocate them to a spare plant and let the kitchen herb double as a butterfly nursery. Setting out a little extra parsley keeps the display full while the caterpillars have their share.
Fix:
- Handpick caterpillars if leaf supply is limited
- Relocate caterpillars to a sacrificial plant since they become swallowtail butterflies
- Cover plants with row cover if protection is needed
Toxicity
Parsley is a safe culinary herb for people, the finishing touch on a plate rather than anything to worry over. The one caveat is the furanocoumarins it shares with the rest of the carrot family, which can leave pets and grazing animals with an upset stomach or sun-sensitive skin if they eat a real quantity. Cats, dogs, and especially birds call for a light touch, so keep harvested bunches out of reach.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
A curious nibble at the windowsill pot does little harm, but a cat that manages a real mouthful can end up with a queasy stomach and loose stools. The furanocoumarins can leave the skin touchy in sunlight as well, reason enough to set bunches somewhere out of the way.
Dogs Mild
Small culinary amounts sit fine with most dogs. A generous helping tells another story, since the same furanocoumarins bring on drooling, an upset stomach, and skin that reddens or burns in the sun.
Horses Mild
Grazing through a large stand of parsley can turn a horse photosensitive, so light-skinned areas redden and chap after time out in the open sun.
Rabbits Mild
A few leaves make a fine little treat. Offer more than that and the furanocoumarins can unsettle the gut, so parsley is best kept as an occasional share of the greens.
Livestock Mild
Goats, sheep, and cattle can develop sun-triggered skin irritation if they graze parsley heavily, though the stray plant in a pasture rarely amounts to much.
Birds Mild
Birds are the most sensitive of the group. Even modest amounts of the concentrated furanocoumarins can irritate the gut and skin, so parsley belongs on the menu sparingly and never as a staple green.
People Safe
Parsley is a kitchen staple and safe to eat, the herb that finishes a dish and lifts a plate. Handling great quantities of the fresh plant in bright sun can leave sensitive skin prone to a rash, but that is a worker's concern, not one for the table.
Furanocoumarins can cause sun-triggered skin and eye irritation in animals that ingest substantial amounts; small culinary garnish quantities are typically low-risk.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
A few distinct parsleys find their way into gardens, sorted mostly by whether the leaves or the root is the prize. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
Curly parsley (var. crispum)
Its tightly curled, ruffled leaves make it a natural for garnish and a tidy, decorative edge along the front of a bed.
Italian flat-leaf parsley (var. neapolitanum)
The flat, deeply cut leaves carry the strongest flavor of the group, which is why it earns a place in the working kitchen.
Hamburg parsley (var. tuberosum)
This one is grown for its thick, parsnip-like taproot rather than the greenery above.
How to propagate
Parsley starts from seed, and for most gardeners that is the whole story. The art is simply making peace with its slow sprouting and its dislike of being moved.
SeedModerate
Spring; start indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost or direct-sow when soil can be worked · About 3-4 weeks to germinate, plus several more weeks to establish
Parsley begins with seed and rewards a little patience, which suits the slow rhythm of setting up a kitchen garden. Sow indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost, or direct-sow once the soil can be worked, and allow 3 to 4 weeks to germinate plus several more to settle in. An overnight soak of the seed speeds sprouting. Because parsley sets a taproot and dislikes being moved, sow it in its final home, whether a bed or a favorite pot, or shift young seedlings with a gentle hand.
Myths
Parsley is a safe culinary herb, so it poses no risk to pets.
Garden parsley does carry furanocoumarins, the same family of compounds found across the carrot family, and a pet that eats a large amount can get an upset stomach or skin that burns in the sun. Small garnish-sized portions are low-risk, and the toxic 'spring parsley' on the ASPCA list is a different plant entirely, Cymopterus watsonii.
Parsley seed simply will not germinate.
It comes up perfectly well, only in its own slow time, and the wait can run to several weeks before the first green shows. An overnight soak of the seed before sowing hurries the sprouting along.