Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Parsley

Caroline writes~
I just started some flatleaf parsley from a pot. It is coming in. How to I take care of them? When to fertilizer? Do they like a lot of sun?

A. Parsley is a biennial growing about 16" high. It prefers a well-drained deep soil in sun or part shade. Space plants about 10" apart. Sow from spring till late summer or purchase plants at regular intervals to ensure a constant supply. Plants are available year round from nurseries. Parsley is ideal for container growing and can also be planted as a hedge. The Italian flatleaf variety you have is much better suited to cooking than the curly leafed [more decorative].

Use sharp shears to cut herbs. Remove any damaged leaves and any insects. Aphids are the main insect problems with herbs. Treat immediately [consider Safer's Insecticidal Soap], but wash carefully before consuming, or discard until new growth appears.

Be careful that the afternoon sun does not burn the leaves. Keep protected or grow with east sunlight. Cut back dead and yellow stems and discard.

Regular light waterings when the soil surface is quite dry to the touch. Do not overwater and be sure they are planted in well-drained mix.

Fertilize periodically, about monthly, as they do not require much at all.

Do not let the roots dry out, or the system will be damaged and the foliage wilt and brown.

Pick parsley leaves at any time during the year. Always pick the outer leaves.

Parsley leaves are best used fresh in home cuisine. Drying is not recommended, but they freeze well. You can freeze herbs on the stem or take off the leaves and freeze them whole. Place the herbs, one layer thick, on a flat tray, uncovered and freeze. After they are frozen you may chop or crumble the herbs and the label and put them in frozen containers.

Some herbs can be placed in pots and grown indoors during the winter months. Place in a sunny east or south window, and use care similar to houseplants. Either dig up herbs toward the end of the growing season and place in pots, or start from seed indoors.

Some assistance from:
http://www.fbmg.com/herbs and http://www.herb.co.za

Sharon writes~
When I grow parsley, some of the leaves turn black, almost as if it was burned. This doesn't happen to all the leaves, just a small amount of them. Am I doing something wrong?

A. Watch the watering and sunlight. Do not allow the plant to stand in strong light if on the dry side as it is stressed and this can lead to cell damage and even death, thus turning brown or black. It sounds fairly harmless, so trim out the bad leaves and discard. Be sure to harvest often when growing well and remove and any flower formations which appear. They are not pretty, very simple, but can lead the plant into forming seed pods which will signal that its mission is life is complete and it will dry and die.