Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Elaine G on April 25, 2020, 11:36
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Has anyone got any tips for growing parsley. I have sown a tray full but none have germinated :(
And Monty last night had a whole tray full!
I seem to remember I had the same problem a couple of years ago and gave up but now I need to persevere as I can’t cheat by going to the shops.
Are they difficult to get going or is it just me. They have been kept warm as per instructions.
Thanks
Elaine
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I have found them to take a while to germinate and seed quality is paramount... bit like parsnips.
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Thanks jambop looks like I will have to search for some fresher seed and be more patient!
Elaine
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It is certainly an awkward so & so, and not just for you!
The RHS says Leave in a cool spot to germinate and make sure the compost doesn’t dry out. Germination can take up to six weeks,
Grrrr
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the old wife's tale was parsley grows best for the boss of the house and like you Mum I've had good and bad germination but i have to say the wife seems to get it going better than me?
and yes Monty did seem to have a good tray of parsley so is your parsley seed fresh stock ? we usually grow both curled and flat parsley in small black pots and when we selling herbs parsley used to go very well
we always buy fresh parsley seed each but year you could try watering the seed with warm water to see if this helps germination also what variety are you attempting to grow? and yes it does sometimes take a long time to germinate because i have in the past dumped the compost out of the parsley pots for some other plants and found parley growing in there to :ohmy:
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I always grow flat and curly Parsley in pots 6inch to 9inch.
This is what I have done for many years with success;
Sow the seed in late March and April and a second crop in July.
Find that will carry on producing for two years, then the stems become thick before it will go to seed.
I sieve the garden soil well, have reused the soil in the pots year on year for more than a decade now adding a good trowel full of homemade compost, it seems to love that.
Soak the seeds prior to sowing in lukewarm water overnight.
Always wet the soil first before sowing the seeds thinly and cover with damp soil to a depth of 1/4inch
It can take a good 14-20 days to germinate and a further month to establish to something that even resembles parsley.
Make sure you pick it regularly, as that keeps the growth and plant healthy and productive.
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I sowed some flat-leaf parsley which seemed fated to never germinate. I put it under the staging and forgot about it for two or three weeks, and "Hay Presto", when I spotted the pot, but couldn't remember what it was, I pulled it out from under and there was a pot full of seedlings.
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We often just buy a growing-pot of two sorts from the supermarket, pot them on then let them loose in the garden. Same with chives...
Might even do some more when I venture out next Friday...
...in fact I will, and they're going on the list!
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I have just done the very same Growster. My parsley seed has done zippo this year. Last year it was prolific, treated just the same. A very contrary plant. I find that taking a supermarket pot and teasing the roots into clumps and planting a chunk together does fine.
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I sow my flat leaf parsley seeds in a 3" pot and put it into a polythene bag somewhere warm until they germinate . Mine took about a month from sowing to having two true leaves at which point I pricked them out.
I do the supermarket trick with basil, coriander and curly lead parsley although I don't separate them out. I just pot them on straight after purchase.
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Like the idea of more basil, PPL, my seeds are just sitting there doing nothing...
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I do the supermarket trick with basil, coriander and curly lead parsley although I don't separate them out. I just pot them on straight after purchase.
Same here.
I have actually got parsley, coriander and basil seeds this year, but only because I got them very cheaply on a mail order offer last autumn. If you compare the cost of a growing herb plant from somewhere like Aldi to the price of a pack of seeds, it is a much cheaper way to do it, especially as some herb seeds really don't keep year to year. With coriander, I always have a decent size bag of seeds for curry making, so I usually just raid that.
I have 2 pots of flat leaf parsley still going from last year. That was a growing herb I did split in half as it was so thickly planted. It sat in the green house all winter and got used and is now in a shady area of the garden, so it doesn't bolt. It doesn't look very pretty as it has been picked so much, but it is still going :)
My parsley from seed is only just showing, while the coriander I did at the same time is already put into a decent sized pot to grow on. The basil is still in the packet I think :unsure: I need to check that, as I am pretty sure I haven't seen a pot of it on the windowsill and it could do with getting going :lol:
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Like the idea of more basil, PPL, my seeds are just sitting there doing nothing...
Might be worth trying taking cuttings of your basil, rather than always using seeds.
I have always grown basil from seeds and place the pots by my tomatoes in the greenhouse and they do well.
Important thing is to cut the tops, so they stay bushy from late spring to late Autumn.
But over winter, that does not work.
So last year I went with taking cuttings, cut below a node and have two nodes down the stem and a top of say four or five leaves in good condition and place in a cup of water with both nodes in the water.
After 20 days roots form which is the time to pot the plants on.
This worked great from Late Autumn, through Winter and still supplying nicely now, so have had a constant supply of basil. Taking some regular cuttings from the top, so keeping the plant bushy and encouraging the lower growth. Of course not allowing them to get leggy and not always harvesting all of the tops to eat.
Had them on the kitchen windowsill and its generally about 17-20c there for me.
Will be trying more cuttings in the greenhouse this year along with the seed and see if that works as well or even better than seed.
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Well reading this thread has made me feel a lot better about my first attempt at growing parsley from seed. I sowed parsley and coriander seeds at the same time. The coriander sprouted and I've since potted the seedlings on. The parsley only started showing signs of germination after the coriander was going well. The parsley seedlings are still very small and I was beginning to think they weren't going to do anything much. However, looks like I should continue to persevere with them. :)