Parsley

You can spice up many dishes by adding parsley to them. Parsley is a natural diuretic and helps to support the immune system.

Parsley should be grown in soil that has been worked deeply. The soil should be well-fertilized and should not have any stagnant moisture.

If you are growing parsley in light soil, roll or tread the soil to make it as firm as possible before you sow the seeds.

For parsley that will be used in the summer, sow seeds in March.

Sow parsley seeds in June if you wish to use the parsley in winter.

If you sow parsley seeds in early August you will be able to use the parsley the following spring.

Bring the surface soil to a fine tilth before you sow the seeds.

The seeds should be placed in rows that are 1 foot apart, and sown 1 inch deep.

If you are sowing seeds in August and the soil is very dry, you can water the holes in which you are to place the seeds before the seeds are sown.

Parsley seeds take from 5 to 8 weeks to germinate.

You can sow cabbage seeds or radish seeds along with the parsley in order to keep the weeds down and to stir up the soil before the parsley germinates. Cabbage and radish seeds germinate much more quickly than parsley seeds.

For summer and spring, thin the seedlings out so that they are 4 to 6 inches apart.

You should keep the seedlings 3 inches apart for the winter, in order to protect them. Parsley does not grow as well in the winter.

It is best to sow parsley seeds where you want them to remain permanently, rather than transplant them, since the plants sometimes go to seed early.

If you must transplant parsley, transplant them into moist soil.

When growing a winter crop, remove the largest leaves in September, so that you will have a fresh crop of parsley leaves that you can use in the winter.

The seedbed for a winter crop should be protected from harsh weather.