What exactly is parsley?
Parsley is a bright leafy green herb native to the central Mediterranean area of the world. However, you can see it growing in all areas of the world in herbal gardens, vegetable gardens and indoors in pots near windows. Once the herb has grown, it is cut and useful as green garnish on top of all kinds of different side dishes and main coarse meals. This is because the herb does not have much flavor, but people use this herb simply because it provides endless healthy benefits to the body due to the large amounts of antioxidants and other essential beneficial nutrients it contains.
Choosing Between Seedlings or Pre-Grown Plants
Growing parsley indoors can be inexpensive depending on how you choose to grow it. You need to decide if you would rather grow parsley from seeds or purchase already pre-grown plants from a greenhouse. Typically, starting parsley out from seeds is the most affordable method. Most importantly, fresh parsley grown from seeds grows stronger, bountiful and provides you with multiple harvests. Pre-grown parsley plants from a greenhouse will only provide you with few harvests and may be costly. However, you do have the ability to harvest fresh parsley sooner choosing this method. You will also want to decide what kind of parsley you want to grow indoors. Do you want curly parsley, flat parsley or garden parsley? All varieties taste the same and provide the same vibrant green color to dishes, but all have different appearances and textures. Heck, you could go wild and grow all varieties indoors to see which kind you like best, or grows best indoors.
Choosing Proper Pots and Soil
Once you have decided if you are going to use seeds or pre-grown plants, it is time to choose a pot that is right for your parsley. Parsley loves growing in warm moist soil that is well drained. So I clay pot is your best option whatever it be for starting seedlings or pre-grown parsley plants. Just make sure the pot is medium to large size so the herb can develop a deep root system and grow in bountiful amounts. Make sure you also get potting soil the drains well, yet holds moisture and contains organic plant food nutrients. All herbs need plant food to thrive and grow properly.
Planting the Herb
After you have chosen your pot and soil, it is time to plant the herb carefully. If you purchased parsley seedling, follow the planting instructions on the back of the seedling packet carefully. If you have purchased a pre-grown parsley plant, follow the planting instructions that come on the nametag of the plant. Following the instructions properly is important if you want your parsley to grow well.
Placing the Herb in the Proper Location to Grow
Now that you have your parsley planted in the pot with soil, it is time to water the herb and place it in a sunny location of you home. Parsley loves plenty of sunshine so make sure the window you place it in gets plenty of sunshine throughout the day. Parsley that is placed in an area that lacks sunlight will not grow at all, or worse for pre-grown plants, will die.
Tips for Keeping Your Parsley Growing Happily
To ensure your parsley grows strong, healthily and happily it is best to check the soil every day to see if the herb needs water. If the potting soil is dry, or the parsley plant is wilting, these are great indicators that the plant needs a good drink of cool water. It is also important to feed your indoor parsley plant some organic plant food every 4 to 6 months. Just like humans, herbs need food to keeping growing strongly.
End Notes
Now that you know what parsley is and how to grow it indoors, it is time to get this fun activity going. Before you know it, you will have fresh parsley to harvest and use on all kinds of homemade dishes. Heck, you can even dry the herb and use it to make a parsley herbal tea, which is excellent for nourishing the body with tons of antioxidants and other potent nutrients. The uses for this fresh herb are endless. You decide which ways you like to use this herb best. After all, you are the one growing it.
