Parsley is a biennial herb that belongs in the same family as dill. This bright, green herb has wispy, feather-like leaves and soft, tall stalks. Parsley is often used as a decorative garnish, although it’s also prized for its peppery, earthy flavor.

Generally, parsley is established through seeds, but if sowing intimidates you, there's absolutely nothing to it if you use an herb garden kit.

Parsley lasts for two years, but it is treated as an annual plant in cold climates. Because parsley does not grow too big, it's the perfect size for a container garden. Also, as long as the growing conditions are ideal, you can grow parsley indoors and outdoors.

If you are building an herb garden and you’d like to know how to grow parsley from seed, here are some tips to remember:

Indoor Herb Garden Kit: Growing Parsley from Seeds

Benefits of Parsley

Packed with nutrients: The ubiquitous parsley is loaded with essential nutrients, including vitamins A, Cm, and K, plus potassium, folate, and fiber. On top of all these, parsley is low in calories, so you can add it to your favorite dishes every day without worrying about the calories.

Rich in Antioxidants: Cell damage is the primary cause of serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. To prevent free radicals from attacking healthy cells, you need to boost your diet with food packed with antioxidants. Parsley happens to be packed with three kinds of antioxidants: flavonoids, carotenoids, and vitamin C. By protecting healthy cells from free radicals through a nutritious diet, you are preventing the onset of oxidative stress that causes cell damage!

Supports Bone Health: Vitamin K is an essential nutrient that promotes better bone health. This nutrient works by helping the generation of bone-building cells called osteoblasts. Also, vitamin K increases bone mineral density, preventing the onset of bone-related diseases like osteoporosis. Just a half cup of parsley provides 547% of the RDI of vitamin K.

Better Heart Health: Improve your heart health by seasoning everyday dishes with parsley. This herb is loaded with vitamin B folate, which minimizes heart disease risk by up to 38%. Just a half cup of parsley provides 11% of the RDI for folate.

Better Mental Health: Gardening improves one’s mood and mental health. Building a small garden indoors or outdoors will do you a lot of good, physically and mentally. An indoor herb garden kit has all the materials you need to grow parsley, including the growing medium and pot for the herbs. This makes gardening easy and convenient, even for beginners. What’s more, you get fresh herbs every day as a result of your hard work.

Uses of Parsley

The great thing about parsley is its versatility. It’s a reasonably fast-growing herb, and an herb kit is inexpensive. You can grow this herb in your free time, build a small garden easily, and maintain it without constant babying.

Once the herb has been established, it’s just a matter of adding parsley to your diet. You can use fresh parsley to enhance the flavors of soups, stews, and sauces. It is often used in Italian cuisine as a seasoning and as garnish. You can also whip up salad dressings, marinades, and stir-frys using parsley. Fresh parsley is often chopped and sprinkled over the dish as a finishing touch.

You can always dry the fresh herb if you have too much parsley in your panty. Drying the parsley helps extend its shelf life while intensifying its flavor.

Here are a few more ways to add parsley to your diet:

• Create homemade chimichurri sauce from scratch
• Season pasta dishes and salad dressings with freshly chopped parsley leaves
• Finely chopped parsley leaves to potato salad, baked salmon, or grilled meats
• Sprinkle dried parsley leaves in a homemade tomato sauce

How to Grow Parsley in Your Home Herb Garden?

Growing parsley from seed is surprisingly easy. If you’re using an herb garden kit, use the soil that comes with the kit; otherwise, use nutrient-rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.7 to sow the seeds.

Sowing the seeds: In a pot, sow the parsley seeds ¼ inch deep, then cover with a thin layer of rich soil. Give the parsley room to grow, set the plants about 6 to 8 inches apart. Always keep the soil moist to speed up the germination process. In 3 to 4 weeks, seedlings will sprout.

Growing the parsley: If you are growing the parsley indoors, be sure to install a grow light because parsley needs constant sunlight during the day. Keep the grow light at least two inches above the leaves at all times as the parsley grows.

Watering: Parsley may not be a thirsty plant, but it needs sufficient water to grow. This goes especially in the middle of the summer season. Water when the soil is dry to the touch. To conserve moisture, you can try adding a layer of mulch.

How Long Does It Take to Grow Parsley from Seed?

Parsley seeds tend to germinate slowly, so don’t feel disheartened if you’re not seeing seedlings sprouting for the first few weeks. We suggest soaking the seeds overnight to speed things up!

Also, keep the temperature around 70ºF to increase your chances of success. In about three weeks or more, the seedlings will sprout.

Growing Parsley with ECOgardener Herb Kit

Growing parsley from seeds isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. Sure, the herb takes its sweet time germinating, but once the seedlings harden, parsley only needs constant light and sufficient water to thrive.

Growing parsley from seed becomes infinitely better if you’re using a high-quality kitchen herb garden kit. Whether you’re looking to buy a kit for yourself or to give it away as gifts to friends and loved ones, you can buy an indoor herb garden kit here and enjoy great savings.