To harvest fresh parsley, you do not need a garden. You can grow the popular seasoning herb easily on the balcony or in a pot on the windowsill.
If you follow a few simple rules, fresh herbs will be available even in winter.
Windowsill Or Balcony? Which is Better for Parsley?
If you have the opportunity to do so, it is better to plant parsley in the balcony box and place it in a semi-shaded place on the balcony.
In the box, the plant is better supplied with nutrients than in a pot. It is also easier to regulate the water requirements and avoid waterlogging.
Should You Buy Pre-Grown Parsley Plants?
You can get pre-grown pots of parsley in many supermarkets for little money. However, these are only meant for immediate consumption.
If you plant these parsley plants in a balcony box, in most cases you will experience disappointment because they will die within a short time.
A much better approach to having your own parsley is sowing. Simply sow parsley for your balcony or windowsill.
Here, too, there might be disappointments, but if the seed sprouts, you will get much more vigorous plants.
Pre-grown parsley for the balcony is better to buy directly in a specialized garden store. There you will get particularly vigorous plants that produce a lot of leaves.
How to Plant Parsley On the Balcony
If you want to plant your parsley on the balcony, you should pay attention to the following care aspects:
- Use a location with partial shade
- Avoid direct sunlight
- Fertilize the plant once a month
- Water it carefully on a regular basis
If you grow parsley on a windowsill, make sure the pots have large drainage holes to allow excess water to run off. Parsley doesn’t do well with waterlogging.
Do not place parsley directly behind the glass in a south or west window. It will get too much sun there and eventually burn.
How to Harvest Parsley Properly
You can continuously harvest fresh leaves from a vigorous parsley plant. Cut the stems just above the ground and don’t just pluck the leaves.
Never cut the heart of the parsley, which you can recognize by the thicker stem and developing leaves on it. Without heart leaves, the plant will die.
How to Get Parsley in Winter?
To harvest parsley from your garden in the winter, simply dig up a few plants in the fall and place them in a pot. Place the pot in a cool but frost-free location and be careful with watering.