Parsley

[ATOB2]

I bought a parsely plant from Tesco. I have cut off al the parsley and used it for food. How can I make the plant grow more parsley?

[compo]

If you've cut off all the foliage the plant can't photosynthasise, so it is unlikely to recover. The way to keep supermarket plants going is to only take so much leaf at a time, giving new growth time to come through, though to be honest supermarkets don't sell many things that will last for ever, do they? Your best bet is to get some seeds and sow a few pots on the windowsill. Parsley's quite easy. That way, when the plants are established you can take a bit off each one at a time so they all keep going. In the meantime I think you'll just have to go back to Tesco.

[liz budd]

Much better to buy parsley plants in pots from garden centres - they last much longer in the kitchen and you can transplant seedlings into other pots or outside beds. The flat-leaf parsley is even more robust and has a better flavour.