How to Harvest Parsley (without killing the plant) (2024)

FAQs

How do you pick parsley so it keeps growing? ›

Just as with other herbs, parsley likes to be snipped, which encourages additional growth. Bunch the stems and leaves together and snip them off at ground level with kitchen shears. You can also just take a sprig or two starting with the outside stalks first. Be sure to cut at ground level though.

Yes, parsley will regrow after cutting. In fact, the more you cut the stems, the fuller the plant will get, and the larger your harvest will be.

Harvesting parsley is very similar to harvesting lettuces or greens. You're going to start with the lower leaves from the outside of the plant. Cut at the base of the plant to include the stem (instead of just cutting the leaves) in order to stimulate more growth from the center of the plant.

Use your fingers or a small pair of scissors to remove the stems if they're thick. Cut about ¼-inch above where leaves are coming off the main stem. Don't take off more than a third of the height at once, and snip from different parts of the plant to encourage branching all the way around.

Leave the inner stalks and leaves, so the plant can keep growing. The second year, the leaves will be sparse and may be less flavor-intense. You may use them, but you may also let the parsley bloom. Bees love the blossoms.

If the parsley has any flowers, pinch them back (deadhead) or remove them with scissors. First, check and see of your parsley plants have grown any blooms. If these blooms have begun to fade, it's important that you deadhead them. To deadhead means to remove the dying flowers before they form seeds.

Prep your parsley.

You can eat the stems of parsley, but they are much more bitter than the leaves, so I recommend just using the leaves for most recipes. By placing all stems together, you can easily remove them in one quick cut.

By the time the parsley plant has gone to seed or bolted, it's too late. The best idea is to learn how to keep parsley from bolting in the first place, or at least how to slow down the inevitable process. If your parsley plant is bolting, it will likely have not much left in it.

Parsley is a biennial, not a perennial. What that means is that it grows into a plant one season, and after winter's cold temperatures, it blooms, sets seeds, and dies. The better idea may be to replant in spring, letting it grow all summer and winter.

When the leaf stems have at least three segments, parsley is ready to be harvested. Cut leaves from the outer stems of the plant whenever you need them. Leave the inner portions of the plant to mature. Ideally, allow 2 to 3 weeks for regrowth between major harvests.

What does parsley look like when it's ready to harvest? ›

Wait until the leaf stems have three segments.

If the stems have three or more clusters of leaves, they are mature enough to harvest from. Stems with one or two segments should be left alone. Most parsley plants will be ready to harvest from within 70 to 90 days after you initially plant them.

Most herbs are harvested from the top or outsides of the plant. Dill, cilantro and parsley leaves and stems can also can be harvested from the bottom of the central stem. Lower leaves on these plants tend to brown out as they age.

Cut off the top set of mature leaves, leaving the bottom two (it's best to cut right above the pair of leaves you're keeping on the plant). Once these branch out and each have a few sets of leaves, you can do 4 heading cuts – one at the end of each of these new branches.

For plants like parsley, you can cut the flower stalk off and pinch back the plant to encourage foliage growth. The same goes for basil. Snipping off flowers encourages the basil plant to resume producing leaves, halting further bolting.

How long does a parsley plant last? Parsley plants will only last for two years before they reach the end of their natural growing cycle. They are a biennial, which means they put on leafy foliage the first year, and then bolt (go to flower and set seed) in the second.

As with most herbs, parsley does best in a sunny area that receives direct light for six to eight hours a day. It can tolerate some light shade. Sow seeds directly in the ground where you will grow the plants, after danger of spring frosts has passed.

The entire parsley plant, thick stalks included, is edible. When the plant flowers, you can use the flowers in the same way as the leaves. Use the flowers as a garnish or mix them into your pesto, tabbouleh, tzatziki, salsa verde or chimichurri recipe just as you would the leaves.

Parsley plants should be pruned every 2-3 weeks. Since parsley is very resilient, the plant can be pruned heavily. Focus on trimming the long stems of the plant so that they won't block light from shorter stems.

To avoid, water your parsley consistently, regularly pick, remove flowers and remove parts of the plant that go to seed. If your parsley does go to seed there is an upside – the flowers are great for beneficial insects like bees, and if you let them fully dry out you can collect the seeds for next season!

Do you cut parsley back in winter? ›

So how do you care for parsley in the winter? Cut the plants back in the early fall and apply about 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.) of mulch around them. The mulch keeps the ground from freezing and thawing in the winter.

The general rule of harvesting parsley is to regularly pick a few leaves instead of an occasional large harvest. Doing so will keep the plants busy producing foliage. Otherwise, parsley goes to seed early in the season. Keep in mind that it takes a parsley plant two to three weeks to grow back after a harvest.

If you need to keep your parsley longer than 3–5 days, freezing it is your best option. The herbs won't be sprightly enough to work as a garnish, but they'll definitely work when stirred into an herb sauce, a pan of scrambled eggs, or a pot of beans.

In some people, parsley can cause allergic skin reactions. But consuming very large amounts of parsley is LIKELY UNSAFE, and can cause other side effects like anemia and liver or kidney problems.

Alternatively, hang the parsley bundles upside-down in the kitchen, without the paper bags. After about two weeks, crumble the bunches and remove the stems. This process works best in dry climates and may not work in humid climates.

One of the oldest methods of preservation is simply to tie the herbs or flowers into bundles, and hang them upside down to dry. This way, the plant juices can flow to the brightest, tastiest parts of the plant via gravity.

Where: Leafy annual herbs (basil) are to be pinched at the tips of the stems, gathering several leaves at a time. Longer stemmed herbs (cilantro, parsley, lavender, rosemary) should be cut near the base of the branch. Leafy perennial herbs (oregano, thyme, sage, tarragon) are to be harvested by the stem in sprigs.

Herb plants grow lovely flowers. Although many have edible blossoms, it is not a good idea to allow your herb to flower early in the growing season. Once a plant flowers, this is the signal that its life cycle is about to end. Your herb is making a flower, then a seed, then it dies back for that season.

Sprinkle chopped fresh herbs in or on top of omelets or frittatas. Before or after roasting vegetables or potatoes, toss them with rosemary, thyme, dill, or oregano. Rub meat or fish with fresh herbs before baking or grilling it. This Grilled Salmon has you top the dish with a fresh herb pesto right after grilling.

Harvest early in the morning, after the dew dries, but before the heat of the day. Harvest herbs before flowering, otherwise, leaf production declines. Herb flowers have their most intense oil concentration and flavor when harvested after flower buds appear but before they open.

Do herbs like to be crowded? ›

Overcrowding is a killer

Plants like chives are an exception, as you can leave many plants, as long as they have an inch or so to themselves in a pot. Once an herb plant has outgrown its pot, it may start to show signs of stress. Repotting it in nice, fresh soil in a slightly larger pot is probably all it needs.

For plants like parsley, you can cut the flower stalk off and pinch back the plant to encourage foliage growth. The same goes for basil. Snipping off flowers encourages the basil plant to resume producing leaves, halting further bolting.

How long does a parsley plant last? Parsley plants will only last for two years before they reach the end of their natural growing cycle. They are a biennial, which means they put on leafy foliage the first year, and then bolt (go to flower and set seed) in the second.

First you preheat your oven to 350F. Then once you are ready to dry the parsley, you drop it down to 170F and dry for 20 minutes. You know the leaves are completely dry when they crumble easily between your fingers.