Parsley is one of the so-called aromatic plants and is a delicious complement to meals, seasoning sauces, broths and rice dishes with its particular flavor and freshness.
It is not surprising that many homes seek to have a parsley plant on hand to use freshly harvested in any dish. There are even those who like to chew on a fresh twig to freshen their breath.
Not to mention, parsley gives off a pleasant scent that will scent any space it’s placed in.
Excellent herb parsley
Parsley belongs to the Umbelliferae family, which makes it the first cousin of cilantro and celery and it can measure up to a meter in height.
It is a plant that, in addition to being delicious, when used fresh, provides a large amount of vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and magnesium, among other vitamins and minerals.
For all this, having a parsley plant in your own house and having this rich and healthy herb is a great idea. It is also very easy to achieve it since it is possible to keep it alive practically all year round without great and complicated care.
What do you need to care for parsley?
- A medium pot.
- Parsley plant.
- Water.
- Sun.
Instructions for caring for parsley
Grow Parsley
The parsley plant is easily obtained in any nursery and in some garden stores, sometimes it can also be purchased in supermarkets or self-service stores.
However, if you prefer, it is possible to grow your own parsley plant from seed and it is not complicated either, although you will have to wait longer before you can enjoy its fresh leaves in your dishes.
The first thing to do is get a pot or planter and fill it with soil for sowing (looking for a mixture that is rich in organic matter), in which the seeds are placed with approximately one centimeter of soil covering it.
It is necessary to water the pot regularly, keeping the soil moist but without allowing it to accumulate puddled water to avoid fungi. The plant will take between fifteen days and a month to sprout.
Care required by a parsley plant
The parsley plant does very well in warm areas, but is fairly cold hardy. Although it can become wilted or weak in a very harsh winter, with proper care it is possible to have this delicious fresh herb all year round.
Although it is possible to keep a parsley plant in the garden, the most common and recommended thing is to keep it in a pot or glass container, because parsley needs a warm environment and sunlight for its conservation.
However, it also requires a lot of humidity, so it is very practical to have it in a container that can be oriented towards sunlight and at the same time in an area that is not extremely dry.
Newborn parsley
The parsley plant will take from its germination, two to three months so that it is possible to harvest viable leaves for consumption without affecting the life of the plant.
Location
The space in which the parsley is placed will be key in keeping it healthy and fresh. You should look for a well-lit space in the house, or if possible on a balcony or on the edge of a window.
Ideally, the plant should receive direct sunlight for four to six hours. If you want the plant to grow upwards and not lean towards where the sun rises, it will be important to move in a circular way, turning the pot every three or four days.
The parsley plant also needs a humid environment, so it is usually highly recommended to locate it in the kitchen, where the vapors from cooking food and the constant use of water provide it with the humidity it needs to fully develop.
If it is located in a dry space, it will be necessary to cool the plant by spraying water on its leaves and keeping a saucer under the pot with water.
The water dish should be emptied regularly to prevent the roots of the plant from rotting.
It is to be considered that although parsley is resistant to cold, it does not tolerate extreme temperatures. The roots of a plant planted in a pot will always be more exposed to climate changes and in the case of parsley; they make it sensitive to the cold environment.
In this case, it will be important to put the pot with the plant inside another pot, to create a tempering barrier that protects the roots of the parsley.
If there are very extreme cold temperatures, it will be additionally recommended to protect the parsley inside the house during the night and the earliest and coldest hours of the morning, taking it out to sunbathe in the hottest hours of the day.
Irrigation
Parsley requires constant watering to ensure that the soil in which it is planted is always moist, however it is necessary to be careful not to drown the plant since excessive watering can cause waterlogging in the pot and therefore the appearance of fungi.
It is important that the pot in which the parsley is contained has water drainage holes.
Pruning
The parsley plant needs to be pruned every two or three weeks, removing any dry, broken or damaged leaves it may have: this helps the plant grow healthier and stronger.
Likewise, parsley flowers are not consumed and should be cut as soon as they are produced to prevent the plant from maturing and stop producing tender and flavorful leaves.
You can take advantage of the parsley flower to generate another plant, simply letting it flower and taking its seeds to plant them in another pot or planter.
Harvest
It takes two to three months for it to be possible to harvest viable parsley leaves for consumption without affecting the life of the plant, however, the ideal is to wait for the plant to give leaves grouped three by three and of a fully developed size. To guarantee that they are of an intense and fresh flavor.
It is important to harvest the leaves little by little according to the consumption that is required and cut the amount that is needed each day in the morning, before the environment is very hot and the plant does not weaken excessively.
You should try to cut the lateral branches of the plant, from the bottom closest to the main stem, so that it grows abundantly. If we harvest the upper branches, we will be slowing down their natural growth.
Tips for caring for parsley
The parsley plant can benefit and grow stronger to better withstand the winter months if it is fertilized every two to three weeks, preferably with organic liquid solutions.
If the size of the pot in which the parsley is planted allows it, you can take advantage of the space and plant other aromatic herbs such as oregano, mint and thyme next to it, whose care and treatment are similar to that of the parsley plant. And they grow very well together.
Parsley sprigs that are not used immediately after harvest can be frozen or dried to make the most of the plant’s production.
