When to sow Parsley (flat-leaf) in the UK
Parsley (flat-leaf) 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
Parsley (flat-leaf) 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 | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| East Anglia | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Northern England | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Northern Ireland | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to late March | early April to late August | mid April to early June | late May to late October |
Growing notes
Sow outdoors from mid-spring to late summer in sun or light shade, in small batches every few weeks, and plant bought plants out from mid-spring to early summer. It is a biennial, so plants run to seed in their second year - start again each spring for good leaf.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 22 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 25 cm
- Plants per m²
- 18
- Days to maturity
- 80 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.2 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- 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 4 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- carrot fly
- celery leaf mining fly
- aphids
- slugs
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for parsley (flat-leaf).