From Gardening Solutions
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Parsley
Parsley
is a bright green, versatile herb that looks good growing and tastes
good too. Parsley contains vitamins A, C, and K as well as several B
vitamins, calcium, and iron. It is often used as a garnish and eaten at
the end of a meal to freshen your breath.
You don’t need much
space to grow parsley, it even grows well in containers. One idea would
be to grow it in a container with other herbs. And here's a fun fact
you may not know about this herb — it's a host plant for caterpillars
of the black swallowtail butterfly. So even if you don't use it in the
kitchen, the caterpillars will appreciate your outdoors parsley plant.
Characteristics
There are three common varieties of parsley: flat leaf, curly leaf, and parsley root. Flat leaf or Italian parsley (Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum) has leaves like celery or cilantro and is said to have the strongest flavor. Curly leaf parsley (P. crispum crispum) has very finely divided decorative leaves that make for an attractive garnish. Root parsley or ‘Hamburg’ parsley (P. crispum tuberosum) has white roots that look like young parsnips and are used similarly in cooking.
Parsley
is officially a biennial, although it typically grows in Florida as a
cool-season annual. Planted in the fall, parsley will thrive during
winter and then flower, produce seeds, and die in late spring. You may
be successful in prolonging the life of your parsley by growing it in
light shade. It will bolt and flower eventually, but the good news is
that bees and other pollinators love the blooms.
Planting and Care
Here
in Florida, the time to plant parsley is during the cooler months of
fall and winter. Parsley does best with a little afternoon shade to
protect it from the intense sunlight. Potted plants are readily
available or you can choose to grow it from seed. The seeds can be
tricky, taking 7 to 12 days to germinate. Soaking them in water
overnight before planting can improve your success. Sow the seeds
shallowly and thin seedlings to 6 inches apart. Keep the soil moist for
best results and be sure to carefully weed.
Most gardeners will
find that only a few parsley plants are needed to fulfil their culinary
wants. You can remove a few leaves at a time for continuous harvesting
or harvest a whole bunch at once. Parsley leaves are most commonly used
fresh, but if dried rapidly, their flavor and color can be preserved.
|
|