[James Kilkelly, was GPI.]

How to grow Parsley
By D. Perse

Parsley is one of a kind among the herbal species. It takes its own sweet time to germinate which can take as long as up to six weeks. So, you better have a good measure of patience on hand when growing parsley from seeds. There is, however, an easy way to grow any quantity or variety of parsley in your garden, in your flower bed, or in container on your patio.

Growing parsley from seeds is really not hard. But it takes time. To help the germination, soak the seeds in warm water overnight. In the morning strain (use coffee filter) and dry the seeds on paper towel, mix with radish or spinach seeds to mark the rows. Spinach and radishes are fast growing and you’ll be able to harvest them before they are in the way of parsley.

Always follow planting instructions on the seed packet. Every variety has its own requirements. When your parsley plants are about a couple of inches tall, thin to 8 to 12 inches. Again, follow the instructions and keep in mind that parsley needs space to grow.



Parsley is a good companion to carrots, onions, tomatoes, asparagus and roses. It attracts beneficial insects and acts as repellent to damaging ones. If parsley over winters in your area, let a few plants go to bloom in its second year. Parsley’s flowers are also very beneficial for the same reason: attracting parasitic wasps and hoverflies.

Another easy way to grow parsley is to buy seedlings from the nursery. Choose small plants and disturb the roots as little as possible since parsley is not very fond of transplanting. Choose curly leaf or flat leaf kind, depending on what purpose you’re using your parsley plants for.

Native to Mediterranean, parsley has been cultivated and used in culinary and medicine for thousands of years. In times of Hippocrates (he was born around the year 460 BC on the Greek island of Kos) parsley has been used in cure-all remedies, as antidote to poisons, to cure rheumatism, for relieving kidney and bladder stones and more.

In Homer’s Odyssey (written sometime between 800 and 600 BC) there’s a description of parsley, growing on an island, named Ogygia. About a century later, the winners of Nemean and Isthmus sporting events were crowned with the wreaths made of parsley.

It is interesting that ancient Greeks used parsley for everything but cooking and eating. The legend says that parsley has first sprouted from the blood of Archemorus (hero in Greek mythology: the Forerunner of death) and was therefore sacred to the dead.

The tombs of deceased were decorated with parsley.

“A crown of wild olive was given to the victor at Olympia, and laurel at Delphi. And at the Isthmian Games pine leaves, at the Nemean Games parsley, as we know from the cases of Palaemon and Archemorus. But most games have a crown of palm as the prize, and everywhere the palm is put into the right hand of the victor.” (Pausanias: Description of Greece, c. 175 CE)

Traditional Greek recipes (just as abundant with history as Greek’s mythology) use flat leaf parsley, a lot of it, many times even as a vegetable, in huge amounts, above all in stews.

Today, with many of the ancient claims scientifically confirmed, we know that parsley is rich in vitamins (especially A and C) and minerals. It is also said to help eliminate the toxins out of one’s body, remove or inactivate free radicals, help with rheumatoid arthritis and lessen inflammations. With high chlorophyll content parsley is also a great natural breath freshener.

“Just like parsley” is a saying, still used in Greece for the person, who appears to be everywhere, without any significant role.

For more growing tips, uses and recipes, including parsley butter, go to: http://dariasworld.info/more_info.htm