Flat Leaf Parsley

 Pick a spot that gets full sun (6+ hours of sunlight) and has well-draining soil that’s rich in organic matter. This herb needs more fertile soil than most herbs. Soil pH should ideally be around 6.0—slightly acidic. Parsley seeds can be started indoors or sown directly in the garden. However, the taproot of parsley plants is delicate, so take extra care if transplanting!

For a head start, plant seeds in individual pots indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date.
Sow seeds outdoors 3 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost, as parsley is a slow starter. 
For the best germination, soil should be around 70ºF, though parsley seeds will germinate in temperatures as low as 50ºF . The germination rate of parsley seeds tends to be low, so consider soaking the seeds overnight before sowing to improve your chance of success.
Sow parsley seeds 1/4 inch deep.

Sow seeds about 6 to 8 inches apart. For larger plants, sow about 8 to 10 inches apart.
Be sure to keep soil moist while seeds germinate. 
It can take 2 to 6 weeks for seedlings to appear. 
Plant radish seeds in the gaps between parsley seeds. The radishes will sprout and grow before the parsley appears, and the radishes will mark the row.
Indoors, you can use a grow light to help seedlings grow. Make sure it remains at least two inches above the leaves at all times.

When the leaf stems have at least three segments, parsley is ready to be harvested.
Cut leaves from the outer stems of the plant whenever you need them. Leave the inner portions of the plant to mature. Ideally, allow 2 to 3 weeks for regrowth between major harvests. 
If you want fresh parsley throughout the winter, replant a parsley plant in a pot and keep it in a sunny window.

Soil preparation for leafy greens

    

I plan to divide the crops into the four beds according to what type of plant they are and what their needs are. One bed, for example, will have all the leafy greens in it.

Leafy green vegetables such as Lolla Rosa Lettuce, Paris Island Lettuce, Viroflay Spinach, Lacinato Kale, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Arugula, Cilantro, Golden Acres Cabbage, Flat Leaf Parsley and Large Leaf Basil differ among themselves in appearance as well as in taste. However, they also have certain things in common. For one thing, they all love fertile soil which is rich in organic matter and has lots of nutrient called nitrogen in it. Nitrogen is what matters the most to leafy greens. This particular nutrient helps leaf vegetables produce chlorophyll and perform photosynthesis. As a result, the plants grow and develop quality leaves quickly. 

• ADD COMPOSTED MANURE Animal waste is high in nitrogen; it’s so high that you typically cannot add animal waste directly to the soil, or it will burn your plants. The type of manure that you use varies in its “hotness,” so you need to compost it before adding it to your garden for at least six months. You can toss the manure right in with your food and garden waste in your compost. Chicken manure is considered the hottest manure, so you definitely need to compost it first. Cow manure, along with goat and rabbit droppings, isn’t as hot, and you could add them to your soil with a reduced chance of burning. It’s typically safer to compost, especially rabbit droppings, before applying them to the soil.
• PLANT NITROGEN-FIXING PLANTS Some plants are considered nitrogen-fixing plants, which means that they’ll add nitrogen to your soil as they grow. The two main ones to add to your beds are beans and legumes. Instead of absorbing the nitrogen from the soil, they fix the nutrients. So, consider growing beans and legumes where you previously grew nitrogen-hungry plants in the previous year. However, you may need to cut back or avoid fertilizing the garden beds or areas where you grew bean crops in the previous year. You might end up with too much nitrogen in the soil. 
• MIX COFFEE GROUNDS IN THE SOIL Coffee grounds are an excellent source of nitrogen. You can either add them to your compost pile or mix the grounds directly into your soil. It takes time for them to break down and release into the soil, but a bonus is that coffee grounds help to aerate the ground and improve drainage.
• USE FISH EMULSION Another nitrogen-rich fertilizer is called fish emulsion; it has an NPK ratio of 5:1:1. That means, while it does provide nitrogen to your plants, the dose isn’t high enough to burn your plants. Another benefit to using fish emulsion is that it also contains various other micronutrients that benefit your plants. Most garden centers sell fish emulsion in a concentrated form that needs to be mixed with water. The average ratio is 2-3 tablespoons of fish emulsion for every one gallon of water. Then, you pour it on the soil or spray the leaves of your plants. Or, if you happen to have a fish tank, use the water when you clean the tank in your garden.
• SPREAD GRASS CLIPPINGS AS MULCH In the summertime, you can apply grass clippings in your garden bed as an organic mulch. As the grass clippings decompose, they leech nitrogen back into your soil. 
• USE AN ACTUAL PLANT FERTILIZER When you select a plant fertilizer, look for one with a high first number in the NPK ratio. The ratio is displayed on the package of the fertilizer, looking something like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. The first number indicates the amount of nitrogen, so using one with a larger first number gives a significant boost to your soil. However, a negative is that chemical fertilizers do tend to fade away faster and can also burn your plants by providing too much nitrogen at once. The organic ones usually have lower numbers, but take longer to be absorbed.

Hamburg Rooted Parsley

 Source: MIgardener

Central to eastern European cuisine, the Hamburg Rooted Parsley resembles a parsnip in appearance. The root also tastes like parsnip but the leaves tastes like parsley meaning the entire plant is edible. You can start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost or you direct sow after last frost.

-Kathryn