Parsley Lacks Flavor

[sillylucy]

I am growing parsley indoors and it is thriving, but it is lacking flavor. I have added some coffee grounds to the soil and my parsley isn't dried out. Any tips on how to get my parsley to pack a punch? I was really looking forward to having fresh parsley at home, but feel a little defeated at this point. Am I picking it too soon?

 

[Chuck]

I am growing parsley indoors and it is thriving, but it is lacking flavor. I have added some coffee grounds to the soil and my parsley isn't dried out. Any tips on how to get my parsley to pack a punch? I was really looking forward to having fresh parsley at home, but feel a little defeated at this point. Am I picking it too soon?

I would have to say you are picking it too soon.

 

[marlingardener]

Lucy, do you have the frilly type of parsley, or the flat leaf kind? The flat leaf has a lot more flavor. It's the only kind we grow, and we use a lot of it.
Look at the stems, and cut the thickest stems to harvest parsley.

 

[Bughunter99]

Pick it early in the morning, that is when it will have the most flavor.
Don't harvest from plants that have less then three segments in their stems.
Make sure the plants are getting plenty of light and are receiving occasional light feeds. They will not taste good if only grown in peat.
Type of Parsley also helps determine taste. French varieties tend to be more bland. My favorite by far is Cilician parsley. It traces back to the middle ages and is very rare but it does great in shade and has a very pronounced sweet flavor and has very fragrant leaves. It frankly blows all other parsleys out of the water as far as I am concerned. As seeds packs go it is pricey but easy to grow. Here is where I got my seeds a few years ago and am still using. www.heritageharvestseed.com

 

[djordjem87]

I don't think it is because you're doing something wrong. It happened to me that when I buy parsley in green market it is tasteless. I believe it is something within genetics that is causing a problem for some species of parsley. Maybe not species but some types of parsley. I realize they are of same species but they are not all the same.

 

[TheConstantGardener]

I know this is an unpopular opinion due to increased interest in organic produce but you can try buying fattening fertilizer or inject some growth hormones into your plants.

Also, you can try putting your herbs in a shaded area, increase water output or grow them hydrophonically.

 

[sillylucy]

Thanks for all of the feedback. It's not a frilly type of parsley. It is growing in abundance and I am ready to start trimming it so it will grow wider. It just tastes really bland. I will try out some of these new methods. I got the seeds from an organic seed packet. I might just have to try out a new packet next year.

 

[Kallie]

I would suggest growing from seed from an heirloom. Do they have heirloom Parlsey??

I have this problem too and I have shyed away from Parsley. Everytime I harvested leaves they had no flavor. When you buy Parlsey in the produce section it too has no flavor. I dont get it. Since you can't really dry out and store Parlsey - I would say it looses flavor way too fast.