Growing Parsley

This is one of the most widely used of herbs and is grown in large quantities for garnishing fish and for making sauce to accompany fish. The plant first reached England early in her history but Parkinson tells of having first seen it in 1600, growing in the garden of the Venetian Ambassador in London so that it could not have been well known in his time. An infusion of the leaves in hot water is supposed to be excellent for indigestion and for kidney ailments.

Parsley requires a well nourished soil, containing plenty of humus and decayed manure for it is perennial and sends down its tap root for sonic distance. To maintain its quality, a sowing is made in July each year so that the plants will be at their best the following year. The seed is slow to germinate. There is an old north country saying that ‘parsley goes nine times to the devil before it ,,rows’. Fresh seed must be used, sowing it in shallow drills 9 inches apart and thinning to 6 inches apart in the rows. Keep the drills moist to hasten germination and during dry weather for the plants will run to seed if lacking moisture.

Two rows should he sown, one to use through summer, the other to use in winter and any flower stems should be removed as they form. Only in the severest weather will the thick curled leaves be harmed but covering a row with cloches from December until March will ensure a continuous supply.

The plants will benefit from an occasional watering with liquid manure whilst a mulch of finely sifted soil and decayed manure given in autumn close up to the plants along the rows will help to maintain a supply of thick, succulent leaves for several years.
Parsley should be pulled close to the base of the plant and, if the leaves are to be dried, they must be removed to an airy room which receives sunlight or has artificial warmth for otherwise, the leaves are difficult to dry. When crisp (and this will take several weeks) the leaves are rubbed down for storing in jars.

There are several excellent strains which are a big improvement on the older types, forming an abundance of thick dark green leaves and standing the winter well. Outstanding is ‘Cluseed Dark Green Winter’, whilst ‘Bra your’ bears an abundance of dark green leaves which are closely packed and heavily curled. ‘Champion Moss Curled’ bears fronds of emerald green and makes a plant of neat habit so that it may be sown alongside a path or as an edging to a bed.

The old wives’ tale that parsley will only grow for a woman if she wears the trousers in the family is something that has not been substantiated by scientific observation. Nonetheless it still needlessly deters many women from trying to grow parsley.