Parsley contains vitamins and beneficial microelements. It is not only added to various dishes, but also used in medicine and cosmetology. In summer it grows well in garden beds, but in winter it can only be found in stores. It’s not worth talking about the benefits of this parsley, because it’s not there. To achieve rapid growth, entrepreneurs add nitrates and over-fertilize the soil.
To consume nutritious greens on a regular basis, you need to grow parsley in a greenhouse.
Specifics of growing parsley in a greenhouse
Parsley, like other greens, is not difficult to grow, the process does not require much effort, and the harvest will not be long in coming. The plant is characterized by resistance to short-term frosts and feels good in winter if the following conditions are met:
- if the greenhouse is not heated and it is not too cold outside, then parsley can be grown in the fall until December;
- In heated greenhouses, botanists do not recommend planting greenery until mid-January.
During the period of foliage growth, parsley needs warmth of +12 degrees Celsius. When warmed up to +20 degrees, the crop feels discomfort, and in the heat the leaves begin to fade. Therefore, it is necessary to protect greens from direct sunlight.
In order for parsley to delight you with its splendor, taste and benefits in winter, you need to know:
- Although the plant does not tolerate much sun, it still requires lighting for itself, because daylight hours are shorter in winter than in summer. For better growth, it is recommended to create artificial light.
- Parsley is watered after the soil dries, but better - after cutting the greens.
- For stable growth, humidity above 75% is required.
- Temperature changes have a bad effect on the condition of the plant.
- To maintain favorable conditions, the greenhouse must be ventilated.
Parsley is undemanding to the soil. It is better to plant greens on moderately fertilized soils, light loamy or soddy-podzolic. Too heavy soil can damage the root system.
Which type and variety to choose
There are two types of culture:
- Root. Characterized by a thick and dense rhizome, it is used for pickles and sauces. Greens are also used for food, but they cannot be cut until the roots are ripe.
- Leafy. This type of plant uses only the foliage, which tastes much more delicate than that of parsley root. It reaches a height of up to 60 cm, a diameter of up to 30 cm.
To choose the ideal variety for yourself, you need to determine what is more important: fresh and beautiful greens or useful microelements contained in parsley roots.
Leaf parsley is divided into the following varieties:
- Breeze. It is mid-season, characterized by long-lasting freshness after harvesting. Greens can be consumed even after 2.5 months.
- Moskrauch. It has a very beautiful appearance and is used for food both dried and fresh. The plant quickly bears fruit.
- Esmeralda. The variety is classified as mid-season. One bush can weigh 50 g. It grows up to 30 leaves on a rosette. Can quickly recover after cutting.
- Bravo. Bred in Russia. This variety has a fairly strong smell, and the petioles are arranged vertically.
The most popular varieties of root parsley are as follows:
- Harvest. Perfect for growing in winter.
- Bordovikskaya. Ripe late. Characterized by long-term storage and good yield.
- Berlinskaya. The plant is distinguished by light yellow fragrant and tasty leaves. The variety is early ripening.
- Leafy. The rosette holds up to 60 leaves, for this quality it is especially valued among gardeners.
Soil preparation
Like all plants, the yield of parsley depends on the quality of the soil. Before sowing greenery, you need to take care of the substances that future bushes will feed on. In this regard, organic fertilizers are applied to the soil in advance, starting in the fall. In this capacity, fertilizing with rotted leaves, manure or compost has proven to be excellent.
When planning winter sowing, the bed is prepared 14-21 days before planting.
After adding organic matter, the entire treated area is watered abundantly, then covered with polyethylene until the spring warmth. In case of an acute shortage of humus in the soil, it is recommended to populate greenhouses with earthworms, which will enrich the soil in just 2 months without the use of harmful chemical elements.
It is best to plant parsley in those places where cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and cabbage were grown last year.
Features of sowing
If you plant dry seeds, the first shoots will appear in about a month or even a little later. This period can be halved if the seeds are pre-soaked for several days.
The process of growing greens is as follows:
- Seeds are sown in the prepared soil at a distance of 5-10 cm and to a depth of 30 mm.
- The crops are watered abundantly.
- The bed is covered with polyethylene, which is removed after the first shoots appear.
- The seedlings are weeded and thinned.
Parsley is sown in greenhouses in April if there is no heating. In the opposite situation - from mid-January. There should be a constant temperature inside of 10-15 degrees. A lower value will cause the roots to freeze, while a higher value will cause the leaves to yellow, dry out and fall off. Therefore, experts advise installing a heater in the greenhouse.
Caring for greenhouse parsley
To grow a good harvest of greenery, it is important to regularly water the beds in greenhouses and greenhouses, apply fertilizers in a timely manner and remove weeds. Parsley is very sensitive to them, especially in the first stages of development, because because of them its stems can stretch too much. It is better to pull weeds and loosen the soil at the same time the next day after watering.
Watering
Parsley requires regular moisture, so you should not allow too much watering and, conversely, too little watering. You need to know that each leaf variety of plant needs more water than the root variety.
It is recommended to water in the early morning before the heat sets in or in the evening at sunset. You first need to prepare the water; it must be soft, settled and heated to the temperature in the greenhouse.
Top dressing
Fertilizers are required for different varieties of parsley:
- The leaf crop is fed twice with saltpeter, the consumption rate of which is 50-60 g per m2.
- Root - in the spring months it is supplied with mineral fertilizers, and during the period of root growth potassium salt is added (50 g per m2) and superphosphate (70 g per m2).
Protection from diseases and pests
Parsley mainly suffers from powdery mildew, black rot, stolbur, septoria and rust. Spraying with a copper-containing fungicide will help get rid of the scourge.
To avoid encounters with these infections, it is important to treat the seeds before sowing, observe crop rotation, and promptly remove plant debris and weeds from the greenhouse.
Representatives of melon aphids, carrot psyllids, stem nematodes and carrot flies like to parasitize parsley bushes. Fight insects with a strong solution of soap or onion skins. It is also recommended to dust the plantings with red pepper or tobacco dust.
Harvesting
If you properly care for the crop, then parsley has a yield per 1 square meter. m will be 1.5-2 kg per sowing. How long can greenery grow? Planting treated seeds will shorten the ripening period to 3 weeks. Planting dry seeds will extend it to 1.5 months.
Root varieties are dug up before the first frost.The leaves are cut off and the roots are stored in the cellar, sprinkled with coarse river sand.
The greens, which are grown in heated greenhouses and greenhouses, are cut year-round. The harvest can be dried or frozen in freezers.
Parsley is completely unpretentious and does not require much labor to take care of itself. It is beneficial to grow it all year round in greenhouses, thanks to which healthy and nutritious greens will be constantly available. It is important to observe the temperature regime, apply fertilizing and remove weeds.