When to sow Chervil in the UK
Chervil is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Chervil is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| East Anglia | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Northern England | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Northern Ireland | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to early April | early April to late August | mid May to late November |
Growing notes
Sow direct from April to August in a cool, lightly shaded spot and thin to 15cm; first pickings come about eight weeks after sowing. Hot sun makes it bolt, so sow small batches every few weeks, and sow again in late summer under cloches for leaves into autumn and early winter.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 22
- Days to maturity
- 56 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.1 kg
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 15 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 5 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- bolting
- aphids
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for chervil.