Parsley

About it

Kind

Herbs · Annual

Family

Apiaceae

Sun

Full sun

Spacing

6 in apart

Soil depth in a pot

At least 12 in

Water

About every 7 days

ⓘ We don't know this plant's soil pH, feeding needs and mature size yet.

When to plant

Sow outdoors

Sow 4 weeks before the last frost

Window

Open for about 2 weeks

Soil temperature

Germinates from 50°F

Ready

About 70 days from sowing

Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.

Planting partners

No cited companion planting notes for Parsley yet.

Safety for pets and children

• Cats Listed as a problem for cats (NC State Extension) — Low severity; toxic principle: Furanocoumarins
• Dogs Listed as a problem for dogs (NC State Extension) — Low severity; toxic principle: Furanocoumarins
• Horses Listed as a problem for horses (NC State Extension) — Low severity; toxic principle: Furanocoumarins
• Children No information in our sources

If a pet or child eats part of this plant, call your vet or poison control.

Read from NC State Extension ↗.

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease notes for Parsley yet.

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

• category NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Plant Type: Edible Herb
• climate requirement The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac sows parsley outdoors 3-4 weeks before the last spring frost, which only a frost-tolerant seedling survives
• days to maturity The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "ready to cut or harvest in about 70 to 90 days after planting"; low end
• direct sow weeks rel last frost The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "Sow seeds outdoors 3 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost"
• edible NC State Extension ↗
• family NC State Extension ↗
• indoor start weeks The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "plant seeds in individual pots indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date"; top of the range
• life cycle NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox: "Parsley is a hardy biennial that is usually grown as an annual"; recorded as annual because that is how the planting behaves, the same call 0069 made for Collards
• maturity counted from The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac's own days figure follows "Sow parsley seeds"; the direct-sown path
• min soil depth in NC State Extension ↗ Not in Table 18-1; taprooted like Cilantro (0039), which the table does list at 12 in
• min soil temp f The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "parsley seeds will germinate in temperatures as low as 50ºF"; the minimum, not the 70ºF figure given as best
• sow window weeks The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ -4 through -3 inclusive
• space requirement The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "Sow seeds about 6 to 8 inches apart"; low end. No row distance given, so rows equal plants, the same convention 0069 used throughout
• species NC State Extension ↗
• sunlight NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Light: Full sun
• toxicity NC State Extension ↗ toxic for cat, dog, horse from the page's "Problem for" listing. Severity, parts and principle are the page's poison characteristics for the whole plant. No Poison Part listed on this page. No Problem for Children tag; the page's separate 'Poisonous to Humans' section is not read as one (0082's rule).
• water frequency days NC State Extension ↗ NC State Gardener Handbook ch. 16, "Watering": "On average, vegetable gardens need 1 inch of water per week; provide only what is not supplied by rain." The handbook's general guidance, not a figure published for parsley specifically -- the same citation 0091 used for the ten 0069 vegetables no per-crop page covers.