Planting Chervil

Right Place
Chervil will tolerate full sun but it is happiest with some partial shade, especially in the afternoon when the weather is hot. In too much heat it will bolt to seed and lose its good flavor. It will do best in moist, humusy soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. In fact, Chervil makes a wonderful ground cover if you have a shady and damp area.

Growing From Seed
Spring Planting Time - Make the first sowing just after the last expected spring frost. Chervil transplants poorly; sow it directly in the garden. Sow a few seeds every 2 weeks from March or early April until mid-July, or until the weather is hot. Light stimulates germination; sow seeds in furrows an inch deep, but do not cover them. Keep the soil moist with a misting device, or cover the seeds with cheesecloth or agricultural fleece. It’s going to take about 10 days before the seeds germinate. After the seedlings are up about an inch or two thin the plants to 9 to 12 inches apart. You should be picking Chervil in 42 to 56 days from seeding.

Growing In Container - Chervil does well in containers. Sow seed in a soilless mix in containers at least 12 inches deep. Because Chervil does not require a lot of sun, it can do well in an east window indoors or under fluorescent lights. For information about growing plants in containers go to Growing Plants in Containers

Fall Planting - Begin sowing seed in late summer for the fall crop. Sometimes chervil will self-sow over the winter if you let the fall crop go to seed.