We all love plants for their beautiful blooms, but when it comes to parsley, we’re usually just in it for those fresh, green leaves. While the leaves stay on the plant during and after the flowering stage, their “inner values” change big time. Once those flowers show up, the harvest party is officially over.
Parsley blooms in its second year
If you plant parsley in your garden, you’ll get to enjoy healthy, aromatic greens for a long time. However, parsley is a biennial, which means in its second year, it’s going to focus on producing seeds to reproduce. You’ll usually see the main flowering phase happen around June and July.
Here’s what to look for:
- Thick flower stalks that can reach 3 to 4 feet tall.
- Flat-topped clusters (umbels) made of tiny, star-shaped flowers.
- A subtle greenish-gray color.
Harvest before the bloom, but stop once it starts!
Parsley follows the same rule of thumb as many other herbs: the flavor is most intense right before the plant blooms. This is the perfect time to harvest your crop. Since fresh sprigs only last a few days in the fridge, it’s best to store any extra by freezing it for later.
Once the flowers actually open, you should stop using the herb in your kitchen. As soon as parsley starts blooming, it begins producing a compound called apiol, which can be harmful to your health.
Pro Tip:
After the flowers fade, the plant produces tons of seeds. These are great for collecting and sowing later, but be careful: parsley seeds are also toxic! Make sure to store them somewhere safe and out of reach of children.
Time to pull it up and start over
You might think you can just snip off the flower stalks to keep the harvest going, but unfortunately, that doesn’t solve the “toxin problem.” Whether the flowers are open or not, the leaves are full of apiol once the blooming cycle begins. Your best bet? Let the plant flower so the local pollinators can enjoy it!
Technically, parsley is perennial (or biennial) and could stay in your garden after flowering, but it doesn’t make much sense to keep it since it stays inedible. Once it’s done blooming, pull the plants out. To keep your kitchen stocked with tasty leaves, just start a new round of seeds every spring. That way, you’ll always have a fresh supply ready to go!
