Oregon · Washington · Idaho

When to plant parsley

Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 15 – May 3; Spokane Apr 15 – Jun 3; Boise Apr 1 – May 20; Bend May 12 – Jun 30.

Parsley is a leafy herb in the carrot family, used as a fresh seasoning as much as a garnish. Flat-leaf (Italian) parsley has the stronger flavor and is the cook's choice; curly parsley is milder and looks tidy on the plate. It's a biennial, so it flowers in its second year, and the flowers draw beneficial insects.

Add to my garden plan

Puts parsley on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.

Difficulty: Easy
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Spacing: 8 inches apart
Planting depth: ¼ inch deep
Frost: Handles light frost
First harvest: About 75 days after planting

Slow to sprout (up to three weeks), so many gardeners buy starts. Often keeps going through a mild Northwest winter.

Parsley planting dates

Towns	Start seeds indoors	Plant in the garden
Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3
Spokane, WA	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3
Boise and Meridian, ID, Astoria, OR	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
Bend and Redmond, OR	Mar 17–31	May 12 – Jun 30

Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.

Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3
Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR	Jan 22 – Feb 5	Mar 19 – May 7

Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3
Cottage Grove, OR	Jan 30 – Feb 13	Mar 27 – May 15
McMinnville and Newberg, OR	Jan 21 – Feb 4	Mar 18 – May 6

Ashland and Talent, OR	Feb 11–25	Apr 8 – May 27
Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3

Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20

Bend and Redmond, OR, Klamath Falls, OR	Mar 17–31	May 12 – Jun 30
Burns, OR	Mar 19 – Apr 2	May 14 – Jul 2
Lakeview, OR	Mar 12–26	May 7 – Jun 25
Madras, OR	Feb 24 – Mar 10	Apr 21 – Jun 9
Prineville, OR	Mar 9–23	May 4 – Jun 22

Baker City, OR	Mar 2–16	Apr 27 – Jun 15
Enterprise and Joseph, OR	Mar 1–15	Apr 26 – Jun 14
Hermiston, OR, Hood River, OR, Ontario, OR, Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
John Day, OR	Mar 5–19	Apr 30 – Jun 18
La Grande, OR	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3

Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3
Olympia, WA	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
Shelton, WA	Feb 2–16	Mar 30 – May 18

Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3

Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3
Sequim, WA	Jan 27 – Feb 10	Mar 24 – May 12

Centralia and Chehalis, WA	Jan 28 – Feb 11	Mar 25 – May 13
Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 15 – May 3

Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
Leavenworth, WA, Omak and Okanogan, WA	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3
Winthrop and Twisp, WA	Feb 20 – Mar 6	Apr 17 – Jun 5

Ellensburg, WA	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3
Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA, Walla Walla, WA	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
Goldendale, WA	Feb 24 – Mar 10	Apr 21 – Jun 9
Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA	Feb 6–20	Apr 3 – May 22
Yakima, WA	Feb 13–27	Apr 10 – May 29

Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3

Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3

Lewiston, ID	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
Moscow, ID	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3

Boise and Meridian, ID, Nampa and Caldwell, ID	Feb 4–18	Apr 1 – May 20
Emmett, ID	Feb 5–19	Apr 2 – May 21
McCall, ID	Mar 30 – Apr 13	May 25 – Jul 13

Burley and Rupert, ID, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Rexburg, ID, Twin Falls, ID	Feb 18 – Mar 4	Apr 15 – Jun 3
Salmon, ID	Feb 22 – Mar 8	Apr 19 – Jun 7

Parsley year at a glance

Task	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Start indoors	Jan	Feb
Plant			Mar	Apr	May
Harvest					May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.

How to grow parsley

Start seeds indoors on your city's dates in trays or small pots under a grow light or in your sunniest window. Or skip this step and buy young plants (starts) at a garden center.
Harden off the young plants: about a week before planting, set them outside for a few hours a day, a little longer each day.
Plant them in the garden on your city's dates, 8 inches apart. If you plant seeds instead, sow them ¼ inch deep.
Water deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day, and mulch once the soil is warm.
Harvest: Cut outer stems at the base and let the center keep growing.

Growing parsley in your part of the Northwest

The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.

West-side valleys

Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon

Parsley often lasts through winter and goes to seed the next spring. Sow fresh every year for a steady supply.

Coast

Oregon and Washington coast

Parsley grows well year round in the mild climate.

East of the Cascades

Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho

Parsley handles heat with steady water. Mulch over winter to help plants survive cold.

High desert and mountain towns

Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon

Parsley is slow to sprout, so start indoors. It tolerates frost in spring and fall.

More parsley varieties

More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.

Italian Flat Leaf

Flat-leaf parsley

Flat, dark green leaves with stronger flavor than curly parsley, preferred by most cooks. Plants are vigorous and often keep going through a mild winter.

Both sides

Moss Curled

Curly parsley

Tightly curled, bright green leaves on compact plants. It is the classic garnish parsley and makes a neat edging for beds and containers.

Both sides

Giant of Italy

Large flat-leaf parsley

Tall plants with big, glossy, flat leaves and rich flavor. Very productive and hardy, it is a favorite for cooks who use a lot of parsley.

Both sides

Forest Green

Curly parsley, tall

Dark green, curled leaves on long stems that are easy to cut. It holds up well in cool, wet weather and is cold hardy.

Both sides

Hamburg

Root parsley · 90 days

Grown for its white, parsnip-like roots, which taste like parsley and celery. The roots store well and are good in soups, while the leaves can be used like flat parsley.

Both sides

How much to grow

How many to plant

For a family of four, 3 to 6 plants.

What to expect

Each plant gives a bunch a week once established.

Storing the harvest

Stems in a glass of water in the fridge for a week or more. Freeze chopped.

Key numbers

50–85°FSoil to sprout
2–4 weeksDays to sprout
6.0–7.0Soil pH
Two years (biennial)Life span

Top care tip: Cut whole stems from the outside of the plant and leave the center to keep growing.

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

Soil, sowing and slow sprouting

Parsley likes rich, moist, well-drained soil with a pH of about 6.0 to 7.0. Its seeds contain natural compounds that slow sprouting, which is why they can take three weeks or more to come up. Soaking seeds overnight in warm water helps, and so does keeping the soil surface damp the whole time. Many Northwest gardeners skip the wait and buy young plants. Feed lightly with compost or a balanced fertilizer, and water during dry spells.

Why parsley flowers in its second year

Parsley is a biennial. It grows leaves the first year, survives winter, then sends up a flower stalk the next spring and finishes. West of the Cascades, plants often keep going through a mild winter and give you fresh leaves into early spring. Once they bolt, the leaves get tough and bitter, so sow or plant fresh parsley each spring. East of the Cascades, colder winters may kill plants outright, so mulch them or treat parsley as an annual.

Pests and harvest

Parsley is mostly trouble-free. You may find striped green and black caterpillars on it: those become swallowtail butterflies, and many gardeners plant a little extra to share. Slugs can chew young plants in wet weather. Harvest by cutting outer stems at the base and letting the center keep growing. Flat-leaf types like Italian Flat Leaf and Giant of Italy have stronger flavor for cooking, while Moss Curled is the frilly garnish type. Store stems in water in the fridge, or freeze chopped leaves.

Good neighbors and crop rotation

Good neighbors

Tomatoes and carrots. Grows in the gaps around them.

Carrot family: Carrots, parsnips, celery, parsley, dill and cilantro share pests. Carrot rust fly pupae overwinter in the soil where last year's carrots grew, so plant the next crop as far away as your garden allows and rotate on a three-year cycle.

Pests and problems

What most often goes wrong with parsley in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.

Slow sprouting

Signs: Seeds take weeks to come up.

What to do: Soak overnight before sowing, or buy young plants.

Swallowtail caterpillars

Signs: Large green-and-black caterpillars eating leaves.

What to do: They become butterflies. Move them to a spare plant.

Common questions about growing parsley

When should I plant parsley in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?

Plant in the garden: Mar 15 – May 3 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 15 – Jun 3 in Spokane, Apr 1 – May 20 in Boise and May 12 – Jun 30 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.

Why won't my parsley seeds sprout?

Parsley is naturally slow, often taking two to four weeks. Soak seeds overnight and keep the soil constantly moist, since a dry crust stops them. If you need it sooner, buy young plants.

Does parsley come back every year?

Not exactly. Parsley lives two years, flowering and dying in its second summer. West of the Cascades it often lasts through winter, but plant new parsley each spring for a steady supply.

What are the caterpillars eating my parsley?

Green caterpillars with black stripes and yellow dots are usually swallowtail butterfly larvae. They rarely eat enough to harm a healthy patch. You can move them to a spare plant if you want to save your harvest.

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