Can I Have Parsley All Year Round?

Parsley a good supply year-round

- Anne Swithinbank’s

Q We use a lot of parsley in our cooking and aim to produce a good supply year-round. I’ve tried sowing in spring and again in summer, but it doesn’t always germinate and grow well. What are the secrets? Fee Montgomery, Pontefract, West Yorkshire

A I’ve never had much luck sowing parsley direct to soil and have even tried the old trick of pouring hot water into the drill first, to no avail. There are easier ways of providing the varying temperature range that parsley needs for germination.

I now sow thinly and evenly into a half-sized seed tray filled with seed or multi-purpose compost and firmed gently. The surface is watered using a fine rose on the can, so the seed settles on a moist surface. It is covered lightly by a scattering of the same compost, to no more than the depth of a seed, before being pressed gently again.