Let’s Get Growing 2010 at Cherry Menlove - Planting Sweet Peas and Parsley

This big bunch of Parsley was picked fresh from my herb garden last year. I bought one Parsley plant and planted it in a HUGE terracotta pot alongside some Sage I already had, Oregano and Marjoram. That pot kept me going throughout many bar-b-q’s and to be honest is still going fairly strong despite being dumped on by the snow.

However, this year I have decided to plant seeds of the herbs I use the most. I’m writing up this journey in case you’d like to follow along. If you plan to plant at the same time as I do you will see the same results (I hope) and have a great looking garden by the end of the Summer.

For planting parsley seeds (we used the variety Italian Giant which is a flat leaf Parsley. The variety above was curly leaf), you will first need to decide upon the type and size of pot or container you want to grow them in. I have chosen pots of Parsley to focus on as they can then sit in my kitchen and are very easy to take from and add to food. Windowsill Parsley. Parsley seeds can be hard to germinate so soak them overnight in warm water to give them a head-start.

I chose two round pots (around 24cm wide) and half filled them with some multi purpose seed compost that retains moisture and then watered the soil. I then added a generous pinch of seeds to each pot, sprinkled them over the top of the soil, covered them with a little more compost and gave them one last drink. Parsley grows with a relatively long root so I may transfer the Parsley to a deeper pot as it grows or transfer it outside in the warmer weather.

The type of parsley seeds we used are ideal for growing indoors and the pots should be kept in a fairly warm place with 5 to 8 hours of light per day. When the weather improves it’s great to get it as much sunlight as possible.

Keep the soil watered and don’t drown them but also do not let the soil run dry as you’ll find it hard to bring the plants back from a drought!

Don’t worry I’ll be doing updates on my Parsley so you can follow along.

Last Summer I grew a ‘wall’ of Sweet Peas right along one of the walls surrounding the garden outside the back door. It kept me in cut flowers from June until September and I intend to grow many in the paddock this Summer.

For sowing the Sweet Peas I decided to use several varieties. Last year I planted a mixture of purples, deep pinks and reds, so this year I’ve opted for a paler pallet like pinks, lilacs and whites. The varieties I chose were - Norman Wisdom, Pulsar, Royal Wedding, Daphne, Charlie’s, Angel and Terry Wogan.

I used bio-degradable pots (around 10cm high and enough for my seeds) and half filled each one with multi purpose seed compost. I then added a seed to each pot and topped it up again with more soil. Check the back of your seed packet to see if they recommend soaking the seeds before planting. My packets recommend NOT soaking them. Although I have done in previous years.

I gave the seeds one last drink and popped them onto a large seed tray and transferred them indoors onto my windowsills, which is where they will stay until they are 8 - 12 cm high and ready to be transferred outdoors into my greenhouse when I run out of windowsill space or directly in to the ground after the last frost.

I will update you on their progress and if you decide to follow along we’ll grow them together. We’ll be bringing in baskets overflowing with Sweet Peas all Summer long. Happy Days!

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