Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-606
Chervil
Anthriscus cerefolium
Chervil is a short-lived, lacy-leaved herb with a mild aniseed flavor, one of the four classic fines herbes and a staple of bouquet garni, ready to cut about eight weeks from sowing. Its delicate flavor fades in cooking, so the fresh leaf goes in at the very end, and the growing plant is said to repel slugs and protect nearby lettuce from aphids and ants. It struggles in summer heat, wanting a cool shady spot once temperatures climb and full sun only in winter, and it is hardy to about -10 C. It self-sows readily where it is happy, so a stand renews itself if a few plants are left to go to seed.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun · Shade
- USDA zone
- USDA 3–8
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moist
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 6–8
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 12–24 in
- Mature spread
- 12–18 in
- Plant spacing
- 12–36 in
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
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Amaranth Greens
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Angelica
Angelica archangelica
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Anise
Pimpinella anisum
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The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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