Question from a PA resident: I covered my raised bed garden, which I created for the first time last summer, with a couple of inches of grass clippings last fall. To my surprise, the chives, oregano, thyme and parsley wintered over. All are doing well except for the parsley. It’s just not growing and some of the leaves are turning yellow around the edges. I think it’s missing a nutrient but don’t know what.
I have fed the garden with manure and peat moss. I put lime in the soil around the tomatoes.
Any suggestions for “perking up the parsley”.
Also, any suggestions to get basil growing quickly from seed. It’s taking FOREVER. I have two large pots of it and also two squares in the raised bed planted with basil as I like lots of it to make pesto to freeze. I planted it about 3 weeks ago and only have a couple of layers of leaves on most of the plants, if that. It must need something - or is it just a slow grower period?
Climate so far this spring has been good. April and May were warm with sufficient amounts of rain, but not too much rain like we had last year.
Squash and tomatoes seem to be coming along well.
Thanks for the help?
Parsley is a biennial. You’ll get a few leaves before it bolts which gives you some supply of fresh parsley while replacement plants are growing.
Chives are extremely winter hardy—no problem overwintering them w/ no cover at all here in central Wisconsin (Zone 4). I grow them in with my ornamentals/ perennials. Can be something of a nuisance because they readily reseed themselves.
No experience w/ oregano or thyme and have grown basil only once before this year. Has been cool & wet & my basil isn’t growing much. I think it likes the wet but not the cool so much.
If this hasn’t been answered already, basil needs a lot of warm weather to grow, and then it grows like crazy. The basil I bought in the garden center is doing great. It is big and lush and already trying to go to seed. However, the one surviving basil plant that I started from seed in my basement is still tiny, but doing better out in the garden. It is still only about 2 in. high.
In the past, basil seeds profusely and starts many volunteer plants, but they all die when I try to bring them in in the Fall.