Any unusual successes?

[Primrose]

Ran out of space to plant parsley in my veggie patch so dotted in a few tiny seedlings in my various patio containers. Not only have they provided attractive green foliage, they have grown into a rain forest, are now over a foot high and are swamping the geraniums. (Clearly they liked the Rooster Booster chicken manure pellets). I now have the dilemma of whether to leave them in during the winter or try and transplant them elsewhere to make room for winter pansies.

[Marge]

I was shocked this year to see oregano (or marjoram depending on which name you prefer ), having self seeded in the garden, in wait for it ... a shady border with heavy, damp clay soil

[John]

Hello Primrose
I think that your parsley is likely to die during the winter unless we have a very mild time. What you could do though is to pot up a few plants into good quality compost and keep them somewhere very sheltered - a greenhouse would be ideal but even outside the backdoor might work - so that they keep growing on slowly and you'll have fresh parsley to pick all through the winter! I keep mine in a cold frame and we have plenty of parsley until late spring when it starts to bolt.

John

[Primrose]

Thanks John. Think I'll do what you suggest as although I don't have a greenhouse I do have a sheltered potting shed area at the side of the house which has a corrugated plastic roof. Seems a shame to waste it.
As you seem to be a parsley expert, can you suggest why some of the leaves are turning bright yellow and dropping off?

[Johnboy]

Hi Primrose,
I grow my Parsley as plugs and then plant out down the row at 6" intervals and I have a fleece tunnel made of water service pipe which I place over the row during the winter months and just so long as direct frost never gets to settling on the leaves the plants do not seem to be affected by the cold temperatures at all.
Hi Marge,
With regards to actual Marjoram there are two types. Pot Marjoram which is a Perennial and Sweet Marjoram which is an Annual and it is this one that self- seeds itself.
Origanum Vulgare is Oregano and also called White Marjoram by some and is a Perennial.
Hope this helps.

[John]

Hello Primrose
Thanks for the compliment but I'm afraid I'm not a parsley expert! DW does like her fresh parsley.
I think that the yellowing leaves might be due to a lack of nutrients. Once parsley gets going its likes lots of nutrients especially anything high in N. When you pot it up separately you can be quite tough with it - give the roots a good haircut and plant up in a deepish pot as they like plenty of room down below. Some high N feed now and again will help things along - it depends how much new growth the plants are making.

John

[Wellie]

Hi Primrose !

Of course Parsley can be attacked by Carrot Root Fly...
My Parsley was doing great guns at the edge of the asparagus bed, then it started to go a multitude of yellows and reds and stuff. I cut it back fairly drastically, after harvesting what was left of the healthy leaves, and now it's a picture of health again. Perhaps I should of fed it, but I didn't, and it's back to it's usual self again now.
I did start some more off from seed in July, which are still in Johnboy's module trays actually, and I must get round to planting them (!)
Hope it all sorts itself out Primrose....

[bottomleypots]

Hi Primrose,
Have you thought of making some parsley pesto. Just make it the same as basil pesto but yes you guessed it with parsley instead. Its fantastic with salmon and especially good is a couple of spoonfuls with hot carrots.It will keep in the fridge for ages.
Just a thought.............

BP

[Primrose]

Thanks for that idea. My husband has stripped by basil plants bare for making basil pesto, so perhaps we'll try some parsley pesto for a change, especially as we're big fish eaters. The plants are so big and leafy at the moment that it would be a good use for them.

[Mike Vogel]

Hi Primrose. I think the yellowing leaves may be due to magnesium deficiency. That, at any rate, is what is usually associated with yellowing leaves. The right sort of feed, such as SM3 seaweed feed, may put it right.

good luck

mike