PARSLEY

Five Steps to Growing Parsley Seedlings Indoors

1. Soak seeds overnight prior to planting to improve germination.

2. Fill flat shallow boxes, peat pots or seed starting equipment with moistened seed starter mix or other sterile, soilless medium.

3. Sow seeds about an inch apart in the shallow boxes or two to an individual pot, and cover them with a 1/4-inch layer of the moist medium.

4. Keep them evenly moist and maintain soil temperature of about 70F. expect sprouts in 14 to 21 days.

5. Set fluorescent lights two inches above the newly opened leaves, adjusting them to maintain this distance above the top leaves of the seedlings as they grow for 4 to 6 weeks

Planting Parsley in Containers

Parsley grows happily in a container alone, with other herbs or with flowers, as long as it gets enough sun. Use one that is 12 inches or deeper. Be sure it has drainage holes. Fill it with moistened soilless potting mix to within 2 inches of its top. Mix in some granular slow-acting fertilizer or plan to water plants once a month with a dilute general purpose liquid fertilizer. Water often to prevent container plants from drying out during hot summer days.

Harvesting & Storing Parsley

Begin harvesting parsley when it produces leaf stems with three segments. Harvest the larger leaves at the outside of the plant first, leaving the new, interior shoots to mature. To encourage bushier parsley plants pick only the middle leaf segment of each main leaf stem.

Store freshly picked, moistened sprigs in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for 2 weeks. Freeze chopped leaves in plastic bags or blended in water or meat or vegetable stock and frozen in an ice cube tray up to 6 months. Parsley also dries well in a regular or microwave oven, although it loses some flavour. Store dried parsley in an air-tight jar for up to a year.

Parsleyworm: Friend or Foe?

Parselyworms are large, strikingly coloured 2-inch caterpillars. Green with yellow-dotted black bands across each segment, they emit an odour and project orange horns when startled. They feed voraciously on parsley foliage, leaving only bare stems.

Before destroying a parsleyworm, be aware that it is the larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly. To preserve both it and your parsley move it to another member of the parsley family that you can spare, such as carrot, dill, parsnips, or the common weed, Queen Anne’s lace.

Source: The National Garden Bureau

Landscape Uses Continued from Page 1

Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ works exceptionally well in commerical landscapes because of its durability and dramatic visual impact. Stiff stems eliminate any need for staking. Rhizomes spread the semi-evergreen basal leaves thickly enough to shade out weeds making it an effective non-invasive ground cover. Planted in bold drifts, the shimmering golden-yellow flowers command attention to the early fall garden. Its native North American roots make ‘Goldsturm’ a natural for meadow gardens providing nectar for butterflies and seeds for overwintering birds. As a mid-border perennial ‘Goldsturm’ adds a brilliant splash in late summer when combined with the subtle hues of pale blue Perovskia atriplicifolia or Caryopteris x clandonesis and soft green Pennisetum alopecuroides. In winter the black stems and seedheads add contrast and texture against the muted tans of ornamental grasses. Prolific flowering, low maintenance requirements, and proven reliability has earned Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ distinction as an award-winning perennial.