Lisette Parsley Seeds

Days to Maturity: 55

Super-finely curled bright green leaves appear in no time on this Moss curled-type parsley. Resistant to bolting and so lush, it looks as good as it tastes.

Curly parsley matures a little more quickly than flat-leaf, and you can begin harvesting these dense, dark green, richly flavored leaves within 2 months of setting out transplants. Parsley makes a fine companion to flowering plants in the annual bed and containers, as well as an herb garden beauty. The plant is bushy and full, reaching about 18 inches high.

Although technically a biennial, parsley should be grown as an annual. If overwintered, it will return in mild and warm climates, but will quickly flower the second year, at which point the flavor of the leaves turns bitter. Make the most of Lisette its first year.

Parsley seeds take a while to get going, so you may want to soak them overnight before sowing. If you're beginning them indoors, be sure to transplant them as soon as they have two sets of true leaves (and the soil is warm), because they have a long root and resent being transplanted once they have begun to leaf out. If you're growing them in a pot for the kitchen window, select a container that is long and narrow rather than wide and shallow, to give the root room to run.