Variety field guide
What to expect from Garden Blend Parsley Seeds
Garden Blend brings three parsley textures into one sowing: flat, semi-curled and tightly curled leaves.
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Garden Blend brings three parsley textures into one sowing: flat, semi-curled and tightly curled leaves. Their fresh, savory flavor suits chopped salads, soups, sauces and the finishing handful scattered over a meal. The mixed foliage also makes an attractive edging for a kitchen garden or a generous container. Parsley has deep roots in Mediterranean cooking and usually supplies its best leafy harvest in the first season, before overwintered plants send up flowers in their second year.
Minimum seeds per packet: 700 seeds.
Three leaf textures, one steady supply of fresh flavor.
Growing facts
- Botanical name: Petroselinum crispum
- Maturity or display: 70-99 days for established leaf harvest; small pickings may begin earlier
- Mature size: Leafy plants about 12-14 in tall
- Spacing: 8 in between plants; rows 12 in
About the variety
Parsley belongs to the carrot family and has a long history as a Mediterranean culinary herb. Garden Blend combines flat, semi-curled and extra-curled leaf forms rather than representing a single uniform leaf type. Its value is the range of textures available from one planting.
Starting seed
Sow 1/4 in. deep in spring, or start indoors 8 weeks early. Keep evenly moist; sprouts in 14-28 days at 65-75 F. Thin to 8 in.; rows 12 in.
Care through the season
Grow in fertile, well-drained soil in sun or light afternoon shade. Keep moisture steady through the slow germination period and during active leaf growth. Remove weeds gently around young seedlings. Harvest a few outer stems at a time instead of stripping the whole plant.
Harvest and use
Cut outer stems near the base; leave the center growing. Use fresh or freeze chopped leaves. For seed, overwinter several plants and isolate flowering parsley.
Saving seed
Parsley normally flowers after overwintering. Retain several healthy plants representing the desired leaf forms, protect them through winter, and isolate them from other flowering parsley. Allow umbels to turn tan, collect before seed drops, and finish drying under cover. Saved seed may not reproduce the exact proportions of the original blend.
Common problems
Slow emergence is normal; do not let the seedbed dry while waiting. Avoid saturated soil and crowded seedlings. Watch for aphids, leaf spots and caterpillars; where practical, share a few leaves with parsley-feeding swallowtail larvae.
Frequently asked questions
When can I start harvesting?
70-99 days for established leaf harvest; small pickings may begin earlier.
How should I grow it?
Grow in fertile, well-drained soil in sun or light afternoon shade. Keep moisture steady through the slow germination period and during active leaf growth. Remove weeds gently around young seedlings. Harvest a few outer stems at a time instead of stripping the whole plant.
Can I save seed?
Parsley normally flowers after overwintering. Retain several healthy plants representing the desired leaf forms, protect them through winter, and isolate them from other flowering parsley. Allow umbels to turn tan, collect before seed drops, and finish drying under cover. Saved seed may not reproduce the exact proportions of the original blend.
