Plant · P-278

Hamburg Parsley

Petroselinum crispum subsp tuberosum

Hamburg parsley is a root form of common parsley, grown for a swollen taproot with a mild flavour rather than for its leaves, which are markedly inferior to curly or flat-leaf types. It is sown in the cool season and lifted through winter, since the root needs an uninterrupted cool run to size and turns woody the moment the plant bolts in spring. Leaving a few plants standing into a second year rewards pollinators and beneficial insects with flowers, though that trades away the root harvest on those plants. The leaf also carries a mild mosquito-repellent oil and doubles as a companion plant for roses, tomatoes and carrots.