Parsley French
Every veg garden should include parsley. It's easy to grow, hugely versatile in the kitchen and copes well with cold weather. My parsley carries on growing outside right through the winter despite the frosts and snow we get on Dartmoor.
It's a perfect patio plant because you can quickly grab a handful whenever the food you're cooking calls for it.
Time from seed to plate: 12 weeks
Sowing Calendar
Sow
Parsley can be sown outside from April till July. Before you sow it's best to soak the seeds in warm water overnight to get rid of the natural germination inhibitor that coats the seeds.
Fill a large pot with general purpose compost and sow the seed sparingly, aiming for one seed every 2-3cm. Cover with a fine layer of compost, water, and place outside on your patio.
Grow
Give the plants room to flourish. Thin the seedlings when they're 5-10cm tall to leave 10cm between plants.
If you see shoots heading up to flower cut them out, to encourage the plant to go on producing leaves.
Move plants to a more sheltered position in the winter to protect them from the elements. In the North it's best to bring them inside to a windowsill or conservatory.
Harvest
Pick regularly to encourage new growth. Chop off the bigger outer leaves and more will sprout out from the centre of the plant.