Parsley

Parsley: plant 15 cm (6 in) apart in the row and 30 cm (12 in) between rows, 4 per square. Good neighbours: Tomato, Cherry tomato, Beefsteak tomato.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	15 cm (6 in)
Between rows	30 cm (12 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	4 per square
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	25 cm (10 in)
Height when grown	35 cm (14 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, started in trays
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	15
Sowing depth	0.6 cm (0.2 in)
Soil temperature	from 4 °C, best 18–29 °C
Days to emerge	12–17 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	Soak overnight
When to sow	Indoors 8 weeks before the last frost; outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 7 °C

From seedling to plant

After emergence	16–22 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7.5
In a pot	5 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed; pinch the tips

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	70–90 days, from sowing
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 16–30 weeks
Typical yield	0.2–0.6 kg per plant
Botanical family	Apiaceae
Watch out for	Carrot fly, leaf spot
First crop after	1 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Good neighbours

Why, with the sources →

Plan Parsley in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Parsley onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow outdoors	Mar–Jul
Harvest	May–Nov

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Parsley →

From the same family

Plants of the Apiaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Home Gardening Series: Parsley (FSA6091) — University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension for: sowing depth, days to first harvest, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30
Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination (GN 154, after J.F. Harrington, UC Davis) — UC Cooperative Extension, UC ANR for: days to emerge, soil temperature; checked 2026-10-30

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