Is there a trick to germinating parsley?

Hi all --

I ran into some trouble sowing parsley this year. I know there is a trick to it; I thought it needed high temperatures but apparently there is more to it than that. Any ideas? It is a biennial.

Suzy

My Grandma way
if you are starting the seed outside in the garden, scratch up the soil a little bit. scatter the seed, go inside and boil the jug, take the jug outside and pour slowly over a wooden spoon onto the seeds.
this works for me,

but if you want to give some away, start them in pottles , put seed raising mix in, press down flat, scatter seeds,and cover with quarter inch gravel, then pour boiling water slowly over.
good luck!!

Wow! When they advised high temperatures, they weren't kidding,were they?

I'll try that and thanks!

Suzy

No the hotter the better
boot

Perhaps it was beginners luck, but I had a very high germination rate for flat-leafed parsley by starting the seeds indoors in the dark at room temperature.

Peckhaus You must be a natural.
boot

I wish that were the case! Thanks for the vote of confidence...

In case it is useful info:
I sterilized the container, used a seed-starting medium, and soaked the seeds for 24 hrs. After planting, I put the container in complete darkness in a corner in my kitchen. No special heating pad or anything - just room temp. Once the first few seeds appeared, I allowed the whole container to get some light. Once most were up, they went under florescent lights - just an inch or two under the bulbs. After the first set of true leaves appeared, I transplanted them into peat pots with a transplant medium.

Peckhaus your seeds are grown with care.
it is a wonder mine survive !!

and I should mention, that the first way is after frosts, and the second is early spring,and put in a frost-free area.. boot

Boots,

I can't thank you and your grandmother enough - -the hot water did the trick and I now have an entire pack of parsley seedlings! First success, ever!

Suzy

You will be right for parsley, from now on .
boots..

This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 7:16 PM

Glad to get this information. I had no idea they needed heat. I let my Italian parsley bolt and now I've got enough seeds for an army. Though I haven't gone to the work of collecting them yet. I sure wish I could just let my garden grow back entirely from volunteers. Sometimes I wonder whether being frugal and trying to collect seeds is actually more expensive when I count my time...