Parsley - SARE

Petroselinum crispum (Asteraceae or carrot family)

Production

Soil preparation

Apply compost and other amendments based on the results of a soil test.
A fertilizer company can add OMRI-listed potassium sulfate to compost if it doesn’t have enough K to meet the crop’s needs. If this isn’t possible, spread the correct amount of fertilizer and incorporate it before planting.
Spread lime as needed to increase both the pH and Ca levels. Dolomite lime will also increase Mg levels. Spread gypsum when calcium levels are low but pH is correct.
Incorporate compost and amendments, and plant parsley in raised beds.

Common recommended fertilizer rates¹

Nitrogen	Phosphorus	Potassium	pH
100	0-160	0-200	6.0-6.5
¹Rates are for New York and are from Cornell University’s Nutrient Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production (2019). Check the Cornell website for updated guidelines, or consult with local experts for recommended rates outside New York.

Varieties

Darki (curly leaf) and Italian Dark Green (flat leaf)

Greenhouse guidelines

EZ Seeder seeding plate #9
When starting parsley early in the season, germinate seeds in a germination chamber unless you can keep the greenhouse warm both day and night. Germination improves greatly at optimum temperatures.

Cell pack tray	Germination temp	Growth temp	Hardening off	Notes
72, 98 or 128	75°	65°	Withhold water	Sow 3–4 seeds per cell. Put plug trays on a wire mesh bench to encourage air pruning. Take plants outside 1 week before planting in field.

Number of successions

As you can take several cuttings from parsley, it’s up to you how often you want to reseed it.

Signs to watch for and what to do

Because parsley plants remain in their cells a long time before transplanting, you might have to start applying an OMRI-listed liquid fertilizer to the water. Follow the directions on the product to avoid salt buildup in the medium.
Overwatering can also cause poor growth. Algae may form over time if the plants are kept too wet, and potassium and nitrogen may leach out.

Transplant readiness indicators

Harden plants off outside; plants that are lush don’t perform well in the field.
Plants should pull out of their cells easily, but they might become rootbound when left too long in the greenhouse.

Transplanter

Rows	In-row spacing	Planting depth (inches)	Notes
3	12 inches	Same level as potting medium	Use a 12-inch sprocket or 12-inch wheel.

Cultivation procedures

Use a basket weeder or wheel hoe when weeds are in the white thread stage, without burying the young crop. Weed control is more effective when you eliminate weeds before they emerge.
You’ll need to follow up with hand hoeing. Crawling many times through the crop to keep it weed free is a common procedure with this crop, as you can cut it over 3 times per season. To keep it productive, you might have to feed it with an OMRI-listed granular fertilizer.
When using plastic mulch, plant parsley at 3 rows, 12 inches apart, and fertigate with an OMRI-listed liquid fertilizer after each cutting.

Disease and insect protection

You can prevent cutworms by spraying the soil with the beneficial nematode Steinernema carpocapsae. Once the pest is in the crop, control the population by spraying the crop with Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, or spread a baited product containing spinosyn, like Seduce, around the plants.
Septoria leaf spot (septoria apiicola) occurs mostly on flat Italian parsley. A hot-water treatment will prevent this seedborne issue.

Other cultural practices

Irrigate frequently for optimum yield and plant health. Frequency depends on soil type, evaporation, precipitation and the particular needs of the crop.

Cover cropping and/or double cropping

Work under any harvest remains to avoid insect or pathogen buildup, and plant a cover crop. In the northern United States and Canada, you can follow summer- and early-fall-harvested parsley with a cover crop of oats and peas in September, or rye and vetch planted at later dates. Adjust accordingly in other regions.

Harvest

Yield	An average of 1 bunch per row foot (1 bunch weighs about 2 oz.). Higher yields with multiple cuttings.
Standards	Harvesting¹ When packed loose, the rate is 4 boxes (at 3–4 lbs. per box) per person, per hour, and when bunched it’s up to 75 bunches per hour per person. These rates are for a weed-free crop.
Standards	Washing 12 boxes per hour per person
Tools and supplies needed	Knives, rubber bands or twist ties (customer preference may influence this), and regular 1⅓-bushel boxes
¹Harvest rates don't include the time required to transport crops from the field to a wash and pack shed or storage facility.

Ready-to-harvest and quality indicators

Plants are 9–10 inches tall. They are bushy, dark green and free of yellow, diseased, or dead leaves.

Harvest and cleaning procedures

Wash hands and sanitize knives before harvesting.
Harvest in the morning to avoid field heat accumulation.
Use different boxes for harvesting than for distribution.
Hold the leaves with one hand and cut with one motion using the other hand. Often with parsley you are able to grab the correct amount needed to make one bunch. If this is not possible, hold the leaves and add more leaves to that same hand with a second cut.
Remove any yellow leaves or stems and wrap the bunch with a rubber band or twist tie; place the bunch in a clean box.
If the stems are cut high off the ground, make sure you re-cut them again, so only 2–3 inches remain on the plant. This is to avoid cutting dead stems at the next harvest. After harvest, the parsley plants will need to look evenly cut to accommodate even re-growth.
If you work your way methodically through a bed, you should be able to do a second cutting later on, starting at the same place as your first.

Washing and storage procedures

Wash hands and rinse boots before entering the wash-and-pack shed, and cover up field clothes with a bib. If a long-sleeve shirt contains soil, remove this as well.
Add a sanitizer to wash water. Use the guide How to Wash Produce Using a Peracetic Acid Solution to establish how much hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid solution to add to water.
When a conveyor washer is not available, rinse parsley twice, adding peracetic acid to the first rinse water. Curly parsley can hold a lot of soil particles. Using a bubbler to agitate the water reduces leaf damage. You can use hydrocooled water for the last rinse.
To avoid waterlogging, don’t leave parsley in water for longer than a few minutes, and shake the water off each bunch before repacking it in a clean box. Set the bunches upside down to drain dry if necessary.
Weigh the product according to your customer’s needs and pack it in 24- or 48-bunch quantities (for restaurants you can pack in bulk in 1–3 lb. boxes).
Top-ice can be used for cooling.

Additional resources

Production Guide for Storage of Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Packing and storage summary for parsley

Packing in the field	Plastic boxes
Packing for delivery	½-bushel waxed boxes for 24 bunches and 1⅑-bushel boxes for 48 bunches. See the International Federation for Produce Standards for the correct PLU code. Add the prefix 9 for organic crops. Use a clean box of choice for CSA distribution and farmers markets.
Storage	At 32°–36° and 95–100% humidity. Pack in closed containers for storage longer than a few days. Parsley is highly sensitive to ethylene exposure; it will turn the crop yellow. Allow for good air exchange and don’t store with crops that release ethylene.

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.