Krausa Parsley Seeds

Days to Maturity: 52 from transplant

The curliest parsley yet, Krausa is almost too beautiful to cut . . .ALMOST. The triple-curled leaves form a frilly canopy atop 10- to 12-inch plants, keeping their crisp texture and bright green color amazingly well in the garden and after harvest. It is good for fresh or dried use in the kitchen.

Krausa is an open-pollinated variety, beloved by cooks everywhere for its firm texture, bright green hues, and rich flavor. It is compact enough for containers, and pollinators flock to it if you let it run its course until fall. Such a great addition to the garden.

Parsley is a biennial, but it goes to flower the second season (ruining the rich bite of its leaves), so grow it as an annual. Dense and well-branched, it's ornamental enough to put in the flowering annual bed as well as the herb garden.

Parsley seeds take a while to get going, so you may want to soak them overnight before sowing. If you're beginning them indoors, be sure to transplant them as soon as they have two sets of true leaves (and the soil is warm), because they have a long root and resent being transplanted once they have begun to leaf out. If you're growing them in a pot for the kitchen window, select a container that is long and narrow rather than wide and shallow, to give the root room to run.