I have two parsley plants from last year, which I bought from a nursery. Parsley is a biennial, which means that they grow for two years before going to seed. I’d like mine to go to seed so I can save some and try to start my own next year (this year, I’m growing it from purchased seed, but it is flat leaf). Unfortunately, over the winter, the parsley got a little leggy, yellowed, and generally not so healthy looking. Part of the problem was that it wasn’t getting enough light, I believe, and also, it was in mom’s watering territory, and we already know that her watering isn’t the best.
So, I pulled them out of her territory and gave them a bit of a clean up.
The most dead lower leaves, I could just pull off, and those didn’t go to the pigs. Then I trimmed the lower leaves that were starting to turn yellow. The plant does have some new growth coming in, so I’m hoping it will look a bit better soon. I did leave a few of the gangly lower leaves, so it has something to attract light while the new leaves are growing.
One of the plants is starting to grow out of its pot, so I’m planning to pot it up after it recovers a bit from the stress of being trimmed. You can see some of the newer growth in this picture too.
This was an especially convenient time to do this, because Onyx, the sow who littered the other day, was having trouble producing milk and parsley is known for promoting lactation. So all the trimmings went to her for a snack.
The parsley did help stimulate some more milk for Onyx – enough that I don’t have to supplement her baby with milk and Critical Care anymore. That means far less mess – she was quite the messy eater, not that I was the neatest feeder!
Both plants have been moved into my room and I’m monitoring watering with a moisture meter to be sure they don’t get too dry or too wet.