Overwintering Parsley: How to Do It Successfully

Last updated: 01.02.2025

Reading time: 3 minutes

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) belongs to the umbellifer family. Depending on care and use, it is an annual to biennial herb. As parsley is hardy, you can overwinter the herb without any problems. You can find out what you need to bear in mind here in this article.

This Article Contains:

The Right Location for Parsley
Overwintering Parsley: What You Need to Consider
Propagate Parsley: This Is How It Works
Frequently Asked Questions About Overwintering Parsley

Quick Overview

The Right Location for Parsley

windless and sunny to semi-shady
Soil deep and humus-rich

Overwintering Parsley

Parsley is hardy
Provide winter protection in cold areas
Or place in a bright and cool place indoors and water regularly

Propagate Parsley

Parsley grows as a biennial, i.e. it flowers in the summer of the second year
After flowering and ripening of the seeds, you can cut off the inflorescences and dry the seeds

The Right Location for Parsley

To get your parsley through the winter well, it is important to choose a suitable location. It thrives best in windless, sunny to partially shaded areas. The soil should be deep and humus-rich and allow water to drain well. The herb does not tolerate waterlogging particularly well. You can find out more about Planting, Sowing and Caring for Parsley in this article.

Overwintering Parsley: What You Need to Consider

Parsley is hardy and copes well with our winters. However, if it has not found a suitable location, you should take the precaution of providing it with light winter protection. This is also an advantage in very cold regions. Suitable materials for this are straw, leaves and brushwood. Otherwise, the herb actually needs little to no care in winter. It is only important that they do not dry out.

Overwintering parsley indoors, on the other hand, is somewhat more difficult. It needs a cool, bright place and must be watered regularly. It is also more easily attacked by aphids and fungus gnats in winter. You can find even more Helpful Tips on How to Overwinter Perennial Plants here.

Propagate Parsley: This Is How It Works

Parsley potato on the inflorescence — The seed heads of parsley shortly before ripening. Image by Buseyakarsk on Pixabay

Like most umbellifers, parsley is a biennial. This means that in the first year, the plants only produce leaves. The herb then flowers in the summer of the second year. Until then, the leaves can be harvested. When the parsley has finished flowering and the seeds have ripened, you can carefully cut off the inflorescences. The whole plant can then be removed, as it will no longer produce tasty leaves after flowering. Leave the seeds to dry for a few days in a well-ventilated place and put them in a paper bag to save them.

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Author

Ann Sophie

Ann Sophie is studying agricultural sciences at the University of Hohenheim. There, she grows vegetables on her balcony. She also enjoys spending her free time in nature, preferably hiking with friends.

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