Parsley Gigante D'Italia
Parsley Gigante D'Italia
Parsley Gigante d’Italia is a deep green, broad-leaved plant, with strong stalks, a fresh, slightly spicy aroma and a tangy-sweet flavour. Also known as Sellerina, because its long stalks can also be eaten like celery, parsley is a particularly high yielding variety that is well suited to autumn cultivation due to its resistance to the cold. Although parsley is a favourite of chefs worldwide, it has often been associated with death and evil. According to Greek mythology, the plant sprouted from the blood of the infant prince Archemorus, who was killed by a serpent. Later on, it became associated with Satan—since parsley seeds have a slow germination rate, the popular belief was that the seeds had to travel to hell and back many times before they could germinate.
LATIN NAME
Petroselinum crispum
NAME
Parsley
VARIETY
Gigante d’Italia
QUANTITY
125 seeds
PLANT SIZE
Height 45 cm
Width 20 cm
CONTAINER SIZE
Height 20 cm
Width 30 cm
COMPANION PLANT
Tomatoes, peppers, radishes, garlic chives, alpine strawberries
SOWING
Indoor Mar-Apr
Outdoor Apr-May, Aug-Sept
TIMING
Germination 25-30 days
Harvesting 70-90 days
SPACING
When sowing 1-3 cm; Depth 0,5 cm
When thinning 10-20 cm
GROWING
Sunligth Full sun to partial shade
Soil Well-drained, moist and loamy soil
Watering Regular watering, allow to dry out
Feeding Heavy feeder
CARING
Expert tip Parsley seeds do not germinate easily. Soak parsley seeds in warm water for one day prior to planting them and maintain the soil temperature at minimum 20 °C for best results. Don’t give up just because they are slow to germinate!
SUPPORTING
Pollinators
Attracts bees and butterflies.
Pests
Repels asparagus beetles.
HARVESTING
Parsley grows during the first summer without flowering and goes dormant for the winter. The second summer it flowers, then stops producing leaves and dies after all the seeds are mature. Harvest parsley before it blooms for larger leaves and a stronger aroma.
EATING
Although it has a devilish reputation, parsley has a long history of aiding digestion.
How to eat Parsley is used for its clean, green, mineral-like flavour in various sauces, salads, stuffings and omelettes. A classic Italian sauce, Gremolada, is a simple three-ingredient condiment made with chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest. This sauce is delicious sprinkled over roast meat.