Flat Leaf or Curly?
Flat Leaf’s the one For flavour, as much as I would like to disagree with everybody else, it has got to be flat leaf, either French or Italian. In fact I bought my current seeds in France while on holiday, together with a number of lettuces. Curly is an attractive garnish, so it’s worth sowing a few. As for flat leaf I like to have a solid mass of it. It’s a real pleasure to be able to cut a big bunch of it and, like rocket, it’s a great basis for all kinds of tasty dishes.
Seedlings
Sowing the Seed
I sow the seed outside but they are prey to slugs & snails which latch onto them as they come through and will easily see off whole rows at a time. Therefore it’s best to plant some indoors too, especially for an early crop. I use the same technique as with lettuce, in fact I plant it at the same time: four to a small pot towards each corner of the pot. Then there is no need to thin for they grow away from each other when moved out. It would be fine to scatter the seed outside but I tend to plant in rows so I know where it is when it comes through. Also it’s easier to water a row of seeds to keep the seeds damp so there is no delay in them germinating.
Overwintered plants
Biennial
Parsley will overwinter, it is a biennial but it gets a bit sad, as you find out if you transplant it, the roots seem to become cankerous and look less than chipper. So, while I save a few plants in Spring, I basically start anew each year, and discard last year’s plants when this year’s are ready to be picked.
Companions Parsley is particularly beneficial for asparagus and tomatoes, according to Louise Riotte it encourages their growth.
Flat Leaf or Curly?
