herb · Apiaceae
Updated Apr 2026

Parsley

Petroselinum crispum

A biennial that gives you a year of leaves, then flowers and ends.

Parsley

Parsley is one of the slowest herbs to , and most of the frustration people have with it comes from not knowing that. The seed contains compounds that inhibit germination, and those compounds break down slowly. Three to four weeks from sowing to visible sprouts is normal. Four weeks can feel like failure. It isn't. Soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing can shorten the wait somewhat, but even then, parsley keeps its own schedule.

Because indoor starts need 10 weeks before they're ready to , starting indoors around 10 weeks before your gives you a useful head start. Use cell trays with deep cells — parsley develops a taproot early, and shallow cells cause it to become before it's ready to go out. Transplant at or just after the last frost date; parsley tolerates light frost and doesn't need warm soil the way basil does. Space plants 6 inches apart.

Parsley is technically a . In year one, it produces a rosette of leaves from a central taproot. That's the harvest year — steady, generous, reliable. In year two, it sends up a tall flower stalk, sets seed, and dies. The leaves in year two are edible but smaller and increasingly bitter as flowering progresses. Most gardeners treat parsley as an , pulling year-one plants at the end of the season and starting fresh the following spring.

Italian flat-leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum) is the culinary choice. It has more flavor, more oil, and more versatility than curly parsley. Curly types are visually distinctive and hold up better as a garnish, but the flavor is blander. Giant of Italy is a flat-leaf selection with particularly large leaves and strong production. If you have room for one variety, flat-leaf is more useful in the kitchen.

The main failure mode is slow establishment from seed, followed by in the first summer heat. In zones with hot summers, parsley can start flowering in June or July of its first year if conditions are warm enough — effectively skipping year one. a small batch in fall extends harvest into the cooler months. Parsley can also be grown as a plant in the South, planted in fall for winter and spring harvests.

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Varieties worth knowing

Italian Flat Leaf
The culinary standard. Stronger flavor than curly types, more versatile in cooking. Flat, dark-green leaves. The one to grow if you cook with it.
Giant of Italy
A large-leafed flat-leaf selection. High-yielding and strongly flavored. Good for both fresh use and drying.
Triple Curled
Tightly crimped, decorative leaves. Milder flavor than flat-leaf. Often used as garnish. Still edible and functional; just not the most flavorful option.
Forest Green
A compact, slow-to-bolt curly variety. More heat-tolerant than some flat-leaf types. Good for warmer climates where parsley tends to flower early.
Peione
A German commercial cultivar with consistent leaf size and good flavor. More uniform and productive than heirloom varieties. Worth seeking from specialty seed suppliers.
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What can go wrong

Very slow or failed germination
Parsley seed can take three to four weeks to germinate even under good conditions. Seed older than one year germinates poorly. Soak seed in warm water overnight before sowing, use fresh seed each season, and keep the soil consistently moist — letting it dry out resets the process.
Early bolting in warm climates
Plants that experience summer heat in their first year may skip directly to flowering and seed production. This effectively shortens the harvest window to a few weeks. Choose heat-tolerant varieties like Forest Green, or plant in partial shade in hot climates.
Carrot root fly damage
Larvae tunnel through the taproot, causing wilting that doesn't respond to watering. The adult fly is attracted to the smell of freshly disturbed soil when thinning or transplanting. Covering plants with fine insect mesh after planting reduces the risk.
Crown rot in wet soil
The base of the plant collapses and turns brown after extended wet periods. Parsley needs moisture but not waterlogging. Plant in well-drained soil amended with compost, and water at the base rather than overhead.
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Companions

Plant with
tomatopepperasparagus
Keep apart
mint
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How to propagate

Parsley is grown from seed, which is notoriously slow to germinate. Soaking seeds before sowing dramatically speeds things up. Parsley is a biennial that flowers and dies in its second year, so successive sowings are necessary for continuous harvests.

From seed
moderate70-80% success rate
Start indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost, or direct sow in early spring; also sow in late summer for fall/winter harvest
Soak seeds in warm water for 12-24 hours before sowing to speed germination. Sow 1/4 inch deep and keep consistently moist. Even with soaking, germination is slow — expect 14-28 days. Be patient and do not let the soil dry out. Transplant indoor-started seedlings carefully, as parsley has a taproot that resents heavy disturbance.

Harvest & keep

Expected yield
Per plant
1–2 cups leaves per cutting, many cuts over a long season
Peak window
20 weeks

Biennial — flowers and dies year 2. Let 1 plant bolt for seed if you want volunteers.

Keep the harvest
Refrigerator
7–14 days (stems in water, bag over top)
Freeze
chop and freeze in oil/water cubes — best preservation
Can
not applicable
Dry
air-dry or dehydrate — loses most of its flavor but usable

Harvest outer stems at the base; center keeps growing. Flat-leaf has stronger flavor than curly.

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How it grows where you live

Pacific Northwest
The cool, moist Pacific Northwest is an excellent climate for parsley. It can stay productive and relatively unbothered by bolt for longer here than in warmer regions. Plant transplants at or just after the last frost and expect a long harvest through fall.
Mountain West
Parsley handles the dry conditions and alkaline soils of the region reasonably well if watered consistently. It may bolt earlier at high altitudes with strong sun. Partial afternoon shade helps in high-UV locations.
Southwest
Treat as a cool-season herb. In low-desert climates, plant from October through February and expect harvest through spring. Hot summer temperatures cause rapid bolt. Afternoon shade is helpful in zones 9 and above.
Midwest
Start indoors 10 weeks before the last frost. Parsley does well through the Midwest's spring and early summer; expect it to decline or bolt in July heat. A fall planting started in August can extend the season into October.
Northeast
Parsley overwinters in the ground in zones 6 and warmer, resuming growth briefly in spring before flowering. In zone 5, it may survive mild winters with mulch. Treat as an annual in most of the region — start indoors 10 weeks before last frost.
Southeast
Parsley is often grown as a cool-season annual in the South. Plant transplants in fall for a winter and spring harvest; spring-planted parsley tends to bolt quickly in summer heat. In Florida, fall through early spring is the primary growing window.
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Sources

Connected
Native range: Mediterranean
A general reference — results depend on your soil, weather, and season.