With its beautiful bright green colour, parsley is one of the typical ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine: it is an aromatic herb capable of giving flavour to any dish, widely exploited also for its benefits. For example, it contains an essential oil that stimulates the secretion of gastric juices, facilitating digestion even after a heavy meal. In short, it is really a valuable ally in all situations: why not keep some on the balcony? Here’s how to grow parsley in pots, so you always have it available, fresh and zero km away.

Index

• Parsley, characteristics of the plant
• How to plant parsley
• Growing parsley in pots: tips

Parsley, characteristics of the plant

Among the many aromatic herbs in our cuisine, parsley is in the spotlight. A small clump is enough to flavor any dish and make it special, giving it not only a particular taste, but also many beneficial properties – including digestive ones, as we have seen. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a biennial plant belonging to the Apiaceae family, which includes many other valuable ingredients like cumin, carrot, celery, parsnip, and fennel.

Native to Mediterranean regions, it grows spontaneously in woods and meadows: in appearance, it has a robust root and triangular leaves with a jagged edge, while the flowers are white or slightly bluish, grouped together to form small umbrellas. The cultivation of parsley is not particularly demanding, as long as you take a few precautions: for example, this plant is particularly afraid of both cold and heat that is too intense , and grows best where the climate is temperate (in Italy, generally, there are no problems).

The ideal place to plant it is therefore cool and sheltered from direct sunlight (at least during the summer season), possibly in regions where winters are quite short and never too harsh. When it starts to get colder, you can choose to place the plant indoors, perhaps on a windowsill to provide it with the light it needs. Alternatively, if you have to leave it on the balcony, mulch the soil with dry leaves or a little straw, in order to protect the roots from low temperatures.

How to plant parsley

If you have a balcony or a small terrace, you can easily grow your parsley in a pot. It is a plant that adapts well to even the smallest of spaces, as it does not grow excessively. But how to do it? First, you’ll need to prepare everything you need to plant. Get a pot with a diameter of at least 20 cm (up to three small plants can grow in it), choosing it from the tallest: parsley roots grow deep and need space.

As for the soil, this grass has no special requirements. You can buy soil for horticultural crops by mixing it with a little sand. Even better if, at the bottom of the pot, you place a layer of expanded clay to promote good water drainage: this will avoid the risk of water stagnation, one of the main causes of wilting of plants (when it happens, in fact, water has probably caused root rot).

Once the pot is prepared, you can sow your parsley. When to do it? In reality there is no best time, just make sure that the temperatures never drop below 14°/15°C (even at night): that’s why it is advisable to do it between March and October in warm regions, while the window storm is slightly narrower in colder places. Now let’s see how to plant parsley.

Move the soil a little on the surface and spread the seeds on the fly, so that they are evenly distributed over all the soil you have. Then cover with a thin layer of potting soil and wet it, then place the pot in the sun. If you want to speed up the process a bit, first let the seeds germinate inside , using techniques such as germination in cotton or paper towels, and place them only later in the soil , with the same procedure we just saw.

Alternatively, you can buy an already grown parsley seedling and transplant it into your pot. In this case, it is called transplanting: this operation must also be carried out when temperatures no longer fall below 15°C, so generally from spring to late autumn. All you have to do is dig a small hole in the soil and place the plant in it, then re-compact it with your hands. And now that you’ve planted parsley, all you have to do is wait for the results of your efforts: let’s discover some tips on how to grow this plant so that it grows lush.

Growing parsley in pots: tips

Caring for a parsley plant is really, really easy. After sowing, in a few weeks you will see the first leaves that will reward you for all your sacrifices. The first thing to do, when the seedling has reached 5 cm in height, is to thin it out: prune the smallest branches, so that those that are already better developed can receive more light, air and food. Also check that there are no dry or diseased ones, in which case remove them so as not to create problems for the rest of the plant.

When it comes to watering, parsley needs water, but don’t overdo it. Keep an eye on the soil, water it before it’s completely dry, or you may see your seedling burn (especially in the summer). Be careful not to overwater, however, as you could form stagnations that are dangerous for the roots. The first sign that allows you to notice excess water is the yellowing of parsley leaves, which should not be underestimated.

As the plant grows, periodically prune the weakest or diseased branches, in order to make the others even more robust and productive. Finally, the most beautiful (and most eagerly awaited) moment: the harvest. When can we do it? Generally, the plant is ready when it reaches 15-20 cm in height. If you only need a few leaves, cut them off with scissors if necessary. Alternatively, you can cut off a clump of stems taking care from a few inches above the base of the plant, to ensure that it regenerates the following season.