Parsley fail, again!

[RosieTR]

Also, somehow, mint :confused: But one rosemary (zone 8) survived (we're zone 5). This is the second time I've had parsley fail. I transplanted started plants that I had done, into heavily composted soil that was the nice moist but not too moist. The pkg said after danger of frost had passed, and they didn't get frost, hmm. Do they like a ton of water? They weren't dry but nothing here is what I would call heavily moist. Was it too hot (but then why the after frost deal?)? Temps after planting were probably mid-50s to mid-90s. I transplanted them the same time as the tomatoes and someof the basil, all of which are doing well. It's not the biggest deal ever but I thought parsley was supposed to be easy to grow, esp from a transplant.

[redfox]

Oy, we have parsley everywhere. Not the answer you need, but PM your address & I'll send you some! ;)

[puglogic]

Parsley, with its long taproot, is often difficult to transplant. Think of it as a carrot without the yummy root :) Best to seed it in place -- although I've tried both and have never had very good luck with parsley....

I had mint die here in Colorado last year as well. The thing you supposedly can't kill even if you want to. This year, voila, it's working. I've mulched it really heavily to stop the wet/dry fluctuations and keep the soil a consistent temperature.

[Rosemary]

In my experience, parsley is hard to get started, because of its thick seeds ,but you got past that point... I've not had transplants fail, but here in MN we generally have abundant spring rain. Parsley does need a lot of water or its leaves wilt quickly - I was not able to keep a plant alive last winter because it needed more than daily watering in the dry air of our house. So I suspect the transplants didn't have enough water.

[CathyA]

Just curious Rosie, when you say it failed, what did it look like? Was it all eaten up by maybe caterpillars?

[Simpler at Fifty]

We grow flat leaf parsley in a pot on the east side of the house. We have found it to be the best place for it. Zone 5/6. DH made me a new planter box and I am anxious to see how that works next year. We have parsley, cilantro and stevia in one pot and basil in another. The new planter is big enough for parsley, cilantro and basil. Stevia is an experiment this year.

[CathyA]

I asked about your parsley Rosie, 'cause whenever I try to grow the flat leafed parsley, the swallowtail butterfly caterpillars take it over. (which is fine with me). Just wondering if yours was getting eaten by them.

[Aqua Blue]

The nicest parsley I ever saw was under someone's out door faucet: It got watered a lot everyday.

[Gardenarian]

My parsley always dies too.

[RosieTR]

No, not eaten. I bet it was the water. I didn't realize it's a super-thirsty herb....all my others are pretty drought-tolerant (oregano, sage, thyme, lavender and even basil and dill). In our dry climate it probably needs water 2x per day, which I am not willing to deal with. At least that's good to know. If anyone wants oregano, now, I can hook you up!