PARSLEY FOR THE WINTER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 35, 25 January 1932, Page 11

PARSLEY FOR THE WINTER

Almost every gardener has his own special ideas as to the best time to sow parsley seed. To keep up a supply of this useful herb throughout the winter, especially during the early months of the year, often proves rather a difficult matter. Here is a plan which has proved to be very successful in the matter of securing a winter supply of parsley. Prepare a bed by deep digging and thorough drainage in some warm sheltered spot such as at the foot of a wall. The seeds should be sown in drills, which should be opened up in advance and thoroughly soaked with water. The seeds should be covered to a depth of quite half an inch with fine soil which is somewhat inclined to dryness. The thinning should be done before the plants start to spread much, from five inches to six inches apart being allowed. If the plants show exceptional vigour of growth, more •pace may be given; but when picking begins the specimens are usually kept well within bounds. Mulching between the rows with a little short manure is very helpful, and abundance of moisture should be given if the late summer is hot and dry, as parsley often suffers badly at such times. The plants thus grown will have developed well before the setting in of the winter, and they will then stand free cutting. SUCCESSFUL GARDENINC IN A NUTSHELL. Did deeply; water wisely; fertilise fully; cultivate cannily; plant perfectly; weed warily; harvest happily.