Growing Herbs: Parsley

In this weekly series "Growing Herbs", our expert gardener Marie Viljoen tells us about the many uses for a particular herb and how to grow it at home.

For the first in a weekly series of posts about easy-to-grow and delicious herbs, I decided to kick off with parsley. It is so ubiquitous that we hardly seem to register its presence on menus and in supermarkets.

Even though I have a small space for growing herbs, I am never without parsley. A handful of finely chopped leaves added to lemon zest perks up stews and braised dishes. Some leaves whizzed into gazpacho moments before it is served give a necessary little kick. The tough stalks put in the cavity of a chicken as it roasts will perfume the entire bird. A few leaves tossed into a green salad can turn it into a flavorful vitamin C feast.

Most herbs need a lot of sun, but parsley can get by on as little as four hours a day. Flatleaf or curly parsley are equally delicious. I buy seedlings in spring and plant them in compost or good potting soil with at least 3 inches between plants.

Alternatively, start them from seed as soon as the threat of frost is past. Excellent drainage is essential, with a thorough soaking necessary only when the top 1/2" of soil has dried. When harvesting, snip the stalk near the base of the plant. Watering with a tea of compost or worm juice from your worm farm once a week is good for fertilizing, but parsley will perform well without this added treat.