Growing Parsley – How to grow, Care, and Properties

Everyone knows that parsley is a very rich spice used by chefs around the world. What is more, has many beneficial properties for the body and it is easy to plant at home. Therefore, growing parsley is a very good idea to have this aromatic herb throughout the year.

If you are interested in growing parsley, this is the article for you. We will explain how to plant this aromatic herb, how long it lasts, the care you need and the properties it has.

Index

How to grow parsley?

To grow parsley, it is important to know when you do this. The optimal time is between March and July. We have the option to grow the plant in a pot, in a field or on a growing table. In a short time it reaches 30 cm in height and once we have cut the parsley, it regenerates again. It is advisable to use between five and seven seeds for sowing. Also it should get natural light, but not direct sunlight. Then we want to notice the Steps to follow to grow parsley:

1. Seeds: We can buy parsley seeds in some florists or garden establishments. Before sowing them, they must be soaked for 24 hours.
2. Sowing: After 24 hours of soaking, we must bury the seeds to a maximum depth of twice their size.
3. Location: The ideal would be to place the seedbed or the pot in a place whose temperature is between 18 and 22 ºC.
4. Humidity: It is important to keep the soil moist until the parsley begins to germinate. This usually happens within 15-18 days.
5. Rise: We must water very carefully until the plant reaches eight to ten centimeters in height and get two or three leaves. It is recommended that it be located in partial shade.
6. Transplant: Once the plant meets the characteristics that we mentioned in the previous point, it must be transplanted to the definitive place of cultivation. There should be between 20 and 25 cm between each plant.
7. From this moment, the plant can be found in full sun.

How is potted parsley grown?

Although the process is very similar, growing parsley in a pot is simpler. The container must have a minimum capacity of five liters. In addition, as we have already said, parsley needs natural light not directly from the sun, so the ideal is to place the pot near a window. We can grow potatoes at any time of the year. However, if we plant it in winter, the seeds will take longer to germinate. Now we will see the steps that we must follow to grow parsley in a pot:

1. Ground: First we must fill the pot with special soil for planting. The seeds should be left with a layer of soil around a centimeter on top. It is important to keep the soil moist but be careful not to puddle it, at least until the parsley begins to sprout. This should happen after 15 days in summer or a month in winter.
2. Flowers: In order for the plants to become strong, it is advisable to cut the flowers, as they weaken the plants. Although the flowers are not used at the culinary level, because their taste is quite bitter, we can use the seeds to plant them in another pot.
3. Harvest: In summer, the parsley will be ready after the harvest after two months and after three months if it is winter. To do this, all we have to do is cut the stems that we want. It is advisable not to do this during the hottest hours of the day.

How long does the parsley plant last?

Usually, parsley can be harvested XNUMX-XNUMX months after planting. For this we can cut the leaves and the stems according to our requirements. We can do this over the spring and over the summer before the first frosts arrive. During the coldest time of the year, we can protect the plants with a thermal blanket.

In winter, the best option to use parsley is in dried form, since it is not advisable to cut the leaves or the stems when it is so cold. But how do we dry it? In summer, before the frosts begin, we can cut more parsley than necessary and dry it in the oven at medium temperature for five minutes. Later, the dried parsley can be stored in a jar and used in the winter.

As for the life of the parsley itself, it usually lasts two years. During the first, this plant produces leaves, while in its second year of life, it produces leaves and flowers before it dies. Therefore, if we will continue to have fresh parsley at home, after two years, we must use the seeds of the flowers to re-planting it and remove all the old parsley plants.

Parsley care

Once we have the parsley planted, there are a number of aspects that we must take into account to maintain and take care of it. We want to comment on them below:

• In the early autumn it is advisable to pluck the strongest stems.
• If we want more parsley, we can divide the plant and replant it in other individual pots.
• The pot with parsley should be in our house or on a sunny shelf.
• It is recommended to cut the most damaged leaves.
• Watering must be abundant, but with great care not to flood the ground.

Properties of parsley

Why should we grow parsley at home? This vegetable has a series of very good properties for our body. In addition to its usefulness on the culinary level, it is also used to make infusions and has some medicinal properties. It is rich in minerals, vitamins, potassium and folic acid, but it helps our body in other ways:

• Antioxidant: Parsley is rich in carotenes and vitamin C.
• Diuretic: It helps us eliminate excess fluid.
• Prevention of anemia: Since parsley is an aromatic herb very rich in iron, it helps to prevent anemia. As an interesting fact: 25 grams of this vegetable provide a total of more iron than 200 grams of pork.
• Rich in calcium

As we can see, parsley is a very good aromatic herb for us and very rich in food. Now that we know how to grow it at home, we can just go to work.