DIY Network

Parsley Joe Lamp'l plants two varieties of parsley: a curly-leaf variety, Forest Green, and a flat-leaf variety, Dark Green Italian. From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-305

(Continued from page 2)

One insect that loves parsley should be left alone: its beauty outweighs any damage it may do.

advertisement

	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

The parsleyworm is the caterpillar form of the black swallowtail butterfly. This beautiful butterfly has a yellow body with black spots along the edges of its wings. Adult butterflies lay eggs on or near parsley plants, and the eggs hatch and become colorful green-and-yellow caterpillars that eat parsley foliage. Parsleyworm caterpillars feed for a few weeks before pupating and turning into adult butterflies. The damage they do is only temporary, and healthy plants can recover quickly. Most gardeners think it's best to take a live-and-let-live attitude, since it's worth a little damage to your parsley to be able to enjoy butterflies in the garden.

The parsley should be ready to harvest in two months or less after sowing. To harvest, cleanly cut or pinch off the outer stalks close to the ground, using scissors (figure E) or pinching the stems with your fingers (figure F). Don't twist or mangle the stems: this could potentially damage the plant. Avoid plucking the green foliage off the tops and leaving bare stalks.

For the best flavor, pick the parsley early in the day when the oils in the leaves are the strongest. Also, be sure to cut only two or three stems at a time from any one plant (figure G). That way, the parsley will continue to put out new growth, and you can harvest the herb over a long period of time. In mild climates, you can often harvest your parsley year round, before it flowers and dies in its second year.

Parsley favors cool weather and is hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but it doesn't do well in hot weather. In hot climates, parsley often melts out in the summer heat. In this case, replant parsley in late summer. Sow the seeds just in the spring, then enjoy a fall and winter harvest.

1 | 2 | 3