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Growing Parsley – A Versatile Herb You Can Grow Yourself

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Parsley
growing parsley

growing parsley

Parsley is one of the most commonly used herbs for culinary purposes and has the most significant number of varieties. The most popular are flat leaf and curly leaf, both of which can be used in cooking or as a garnish. The plant itself is beautiful in a garden and is a cost-effective way to obtain fresh herbs as just two plants can provide enough leaves for a year’s worth of cooking.

This hardy biennial is native to the Mediterranean and has been cultivated for at least two thousand years. The following advice should help you look after growing parsley.

  • Soil, planting and care
  • Troubleshooting
  • Harvest and storage

Planting

Although parsley can only be grown from seed, it is extremely slow to germinate, often taking up to four weeks before the seedlings appear. A tried and tested method to speed up germination is to soak the seeds in warm water for up to 24 hours before planting. Growing parsley can be grown in containers – like this one here – or in the garden between the months of March and May.

It is best planted when the soil temperature is between 10ºC and 30ºC (50º F and 86º F) and should be spaced approximately eight inches apart in the garden. Eventually, it will reach a height of ten inches.

Soil

Parsley prefers moist soil, and it should be dug in well, with a good handful of organic fertilizer mixed into the ground. The soil should be firmed down to remove any air pockets and needs to be thoroughly watered immediately.

Care

Parsley has long tap roots needing a good depth of soil, and you should avoid transplanting it unless absolutely necessary. It needs to be kept well-watered, especially if grown in a pot and benefits from a monthly feed of blood, fish and bone. As a hardy plant, it is capable of surviving snow and light frosts.

Troubleshooting

When fully established, parsley is a vigorously growing plant, needing only to be kept well-watered. It is unlikely to suffer from any pests or diseases but may attract the striped caterpillars of black swallowtail butterflies. Surprisingly, the caterpillars actually help the growing parsley plants to flourish and even provide much-needed fertilizer with their excrement.

Harvest and Storage

You can start harvesting once the plant has a good head of leaves, which can be from nine weeks onwards. You should regularly crop even if you don’t require the leaves, as this leads to further growth. The leaves can be successfully dried and kept in an air-tight container.

Harvesting can continue until the end of the second growing season, at which point the parsley will bloom with white flowers and not produce any more leaves.

Parsley can add flavor to practically any dish, working exceptionally well with vegetables, and it can transform the taste of potatoes. It can be added to a white sauce to serve with ham or fish dishes.

Why not growing parsley and discover for yourself how versatile this flavorsome herb can be?

Tomato Growing Tips For Beginners

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Tomatoes
tomato growing tips for beginners

tomato growing tips for beginners

Tomatoes are an easy plant for most beginning gardeners because they are very low maintenance! Whether you’re looking tomato growing tips for beginners to grow them seeds or seedlings, in a container, a raised bed, or just right in the ground, you’ll find that as long as you have an area with plenty of sunlight then you’re ready to start growing!

Tomatoes will grow in almost any soil type, so not too much outside research is needed to determine the best soil composition for them; however they get the best nutrients from soil compositions that have a pH range of 6.2 – 6.8.  You can purchase a test kit here or at your local home & garden stores. They will also grow in just about any kind of container, as long as it is 18in. – 24in., so as to give the roots plenty of room, and the pot should have drainage holes.

Major requirements for growing this plant in a pot include:

  • The pot should be in a position where it can get at least 6 hours of sunlight a day – tomatoes love sunshine!
  • There should be an inch of room between the soil and the top of the pot in order to add mulch to keep the soil moist, and,
  • Consider putting some sort of wire or trellis around the pot to give the vines some structure to grow on.

How to Grow Tomatoes

When growing tomatoes in the ground or in a raised bed, make sure the plants have enough space – seeds or seedlings should be planted at least 2 – 3ft. apart. Seedlings should be planted with 2/3’s of the stem in the ground to ensure a stronger root (you’ll also want to prune any lower leaves or early blooming flowers to make planting easier). As with potted plants, tomatoes planted in the ground or in raised beds should also be supported with a trellis or stake for the vines (this will also aid in pruning leaves throughout the season).

Once your seedlings have started to sprout, be sure to watch out for caterpillars known as tomato hornworms! These pesky insects eat tomato foliage and can quickly strip your plants. The safest & easiest way to get rid of hornworms is to hand pick them; lightly spray your plants with water to make them more visible and try to pick them twice a day, as they are typically easier to see at dawn and dusk.

Tomato growing tips for beginners, As your tomato plants start to grow, you’ll want to prune them regularly, be sure to remove any budding flowers until the plant is at least 12”-18”, this will give way to a stronger root and an abundant harvest! Speaking of harvesting, tomatoes are an easy plant to harvest as well! Once your fruit reaches a nice deep color, you’ll know it’s ready to pick. But be patient, you don’t want to pick any fruit before it’s ready; with bigger tomatoes the color should be deep and the fruit itself should be a little firm. Keep your harvest stored at room temperature and resist the urge to refrigerate them or else they will go bad.

Towards the end of growing season, prune you plant by removing the growing tip of each main stem about four weeks before the first expected autumn frost, this way the fruit will ripen faster before the frost. Any late harvested fruits before the autumn frost are best used for canning, freezing, or drying recipes.

With these tips in mind, you’re ready to grow varieties big and small, from cherry tomatoes to big boys!