Growing parsley is not a crime........
......But stealing candy from a baby is!........So what do these things have in common? Well, they are both extremely easy to do. In fact I would suggest growing parsley is probably even easier than stealing from one of those snotty nosed children. You just need to know how.
1.When growing parsley from seed the best thing to do is get it to germinate in a tray before you plant it in the garden or into your pots. Parsley can take three or four weeks to germinate. If you don't have a seed raising tray, don't worry, you can use an ice cream container or some thing similar. Just grab a knife and stab a decent amount of holes in the bottom of the container, (don't worry murdering an ice cream container isn't a crime either,) so that the water will be able to drain.
2Fill the tray up with potting or seed raising mix ( Seed raising mix is better because it normally contains a fungicide to prevent the parsley seeds from rotting in the soil.) Evenly sprinkle the parsley seeds over the soil. Get half a hand fullof the potting mix and sprinkle it over the seeds. ( WOOOO NELLY.. I said half a hand full, not the whole bag!!! It doesn't really matter too much if some of the seeds are not covered too well.)
3.lightly water the parsley seeds . (You want the soil to be damp but not soaking wet as though the parsley had just been thrown in to the middle of the pacific ocean!!!! ) Get a clear plastic shopping bag and put the whole container in side it. Tie it up or put a rubber band around it. This will now act as a mini green house to speed up the parsley's germination process.
4. Put the tray in to a sunny spot. If you have tied it up correctly then you probably will only have to water it once or twice a week, as the water will not be able to evaporate.Check on the parsley tray a couple times a week for the next few weeks.
5Prepare the area where you want to plant the parsley by digging it over with a spade. Make sure you dig down deep enough to be able to see China on the other end of the hole. Okay, so maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration but the deeper and wider you dig the hole the easier it is grointo be to grow the parsley, Ad some good quality compost (don't be shy the more the better.) click here if you want to learn the best way to make compost at home. Now dig the soil over again so that the compost is well mixed through. firm the soil down. (i.e Stomp all over it like like you were a kid jumping through a giant puddle for the first time.)
6.Once the parsley seedlings are about 5-8cm (2-3 inches) tall it is time to prick them out of the tray and introduce them to the real world. Gently use a knife to wench them out of the potting mix. (the more potting mix you can keep around the roots of the parsley the less transplantation shock they will get.) Use a trowel to dig a small hole in the garden that you have already turned over. Put the parsley seedling into the hole and and gently fill the hole up with soil.
7. WATER YOUR PARSLEY !!!!!!!.... but don't turn the pressure of your hose up so high that even your local fire department gets jealous!!! Always water with a low pressure, but for a long period of time.You want the water to sink deep into your soil. Most people who come to ask my advise in the garden center are guilty of this. HECK!!! even my colleges who have worked in the garden center for years still drive me crazy with this! In summer you will find that a good layer of mulch will help make watering easier.
8. Now its time to feed your parsley. When it comes to fertilizers there is thousands of different ways you can feed your parsley. I find that regular liquid feeds are the best. If you want to use a chemical liquid feed make sure you get one that is high in nitrogen, as this is what gives you lots of green growth. I personally prefer to use an organic home made fertilizer. Its good because it doesn' really cost me anything to make. Organic fertilizers feed the plant but they also condition the soil. which means long term your veggie garden is going to get better and better... I have had alot of people emailing me on how to make the fertilizer, so I have added a form below if you would like me to send it to you. I have also included a few extra home remedies to get rid of alot problems around the garden. I hope you guys enjoy them. Also please send me your feed back on how they work, or if you have any of your own recipes for fertilizersor bug control please share them with me here.
