How to Grow Italian Parsley at Home!

With my guide you'll discover how to grow Italian parsley at home fresh in a simple pot on your own balcony to have always this wonderful ingredient on hand for cooking!

The leaves and stems of parsley finely chopped are used to flavor many Italian dishes as sauces, appetizers, pasta, fish and meat. It's best to add it to Italian recipes raw and not cooked as it will lose its flavor.

So what about growing it on your own balcony or in your kitchen?

Due to its ease of cultivation and its adaptability, this popular plant can grow in a simple pot on your balcony.

This plant is widely used in Italian cooking and that's why parsley is present in most of Italian vegetable gardens and homes.

If you intend to grow a plant of Italian parsley directly into a terracotta pot, then the best time to do this is undoubtedly the beginning of spring, but it may be extended until August to get the fresh product available throughout the winter.

Lets Start and See How to Grow Italian Parsley...

Parsley Seeds

Terracotta Pots are Best

So if you want to grow some Italian parsley on your balcony or kitchen you do not need any particular container. It's enough that you have and best would be a terracotta pot deep 6-8 inches (15-20cm) with a diameter of 4-6 inches (12-15cm) or a rectangular form and of course Italian parsley seeds.

Regarding the soil it must be a fertile ground of medium texture, well drained and slightly acidic. Ideally it's obtained by mixing a good soil rich in organic matter with an handful of substrate for azaleas and some perlite.

It must be said that its germination can be quite long, so do not panic if you do not see any growth of parsley because it may take more than twenty days to see the first leaves.

Just pay particular care and keep the soil wet enough and the temperature of the environment near the pot at 64°F (18°C).

With this temperature already in a couple of weeks you can see the first leaves come out.

Always take care to keep the earth clean and wet; after a couple of months the plant of parsley can be considered adult and you can then make your first cuts of parsley and clipping everything to make room for future growth.

The only care to be taken is to protect it from cold, although it is a rustic plant parsley can resist cold but can't resist frost. So if the temperatures where you live drops below zero you must constantly protect the pots and move them from the balcony to a suitable warmer indoor place that could be for example your kitchen.

Lets Summarize With a Few Important Tips That You Don't Want to Miss!

Following these tips, you will always have fresh Italian parsley ready for use from March to October in a very simple and inexpensive way.

• Likes to be watered frequently, but do not overdo.
• If the water remains stagnant in its soil it's surely damaged.
• Stand up to the twilight, but never put it in a place too dark.
• Stand the cold so cover with a perforated plastic sheet during the cold months.
• Doesn't like weeds and pests in its own pot.
• Remove the flowering stems as soon as blooms.
• To pick the leaves cut with scissors always close to the stem.

And last but not least...

You can always freeze parsley for use in winter months!

The best way to consume parsley is obviously to use it fresh, but if then if you have more than expected or you can consume then the best way is to freeze it by chopping the leaves before as I show you below. Important thing is that you do not dry it otherwise it will lose all its flavor.

How to Cut Parsley for Cooking!

Now it's time to see how to cut parsley and give you a few other useful tips.

1. If you have a bunch of parsley that you want to cut for cooking just start pulling the stems and then cleanly cut. Don't throw the stems away because if you like you can use them to flavor and make a nice broth.

2. If you have a bunch of Italian parsley with stems of varying height and thickness, proceed to detach the leaves from the stalks by hand.

3. Combine the leaves in one pile to be able to cut a certain quantity and group them under the palm of your hand then begin to chop coarsely.

4. Place your fingers on the knife as the photo shows you. Then make a much more finely chop until the desired consistency is achieved.

5. If you are not familiar with the cutting method described above you can finely chop parsley using an Italian cutter called "mezzaluna" (half moon), surely the simplest tool used in many Italian homes.

6. And here is the final result, stems of Italian parsley ready to be used in your Italian cooking or to form a so called bouquet "garni" (bundle of herbs used to flavor) or maybe frozen and then used in winter to flavor stews and soups.