Chervil
Chervil is a herb in the Apiaceae family. It grows best in part shade with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 3-10. Plants reach harvest about 40–65 days after planting and sit about 6 inches apart.
Varieties
3 from Seeds Now & True Leaf Market · sorted by days to maturity▸Chervil40–60 days
Grows well with raised beds
Chervil, also called French Parsley and Garden Chervil, is an ancient aromatic annual in the parsley family, with similar fern-like leaves, tiny white flowers, and a sweet flavor that’s a delicate mix of parsley, anise, and pepper. Leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers are all edible. It prefers growing in part shade in moist soil with cool temps, so it’s good for indoor gardens or fall/winter gardens in mild climates. An important ingredient in fines herbes, along with chives, parsley, and tarragon, used extensively in French gourmet cooking. Loses its flavor when dried, so chop or chiffonade to add a freshness to salads, dressings, herb butter, sauces, seafood, peas, poultry, green beans, carrots, eggs, and herbal tea. As a companion plant, it attracts pollinators and beneficial insects, and repels ants, aphids, slugs, and snails. As a medicinal herb, Chervil has been used internally to treat arthritis, bronchitis, congestion, cough, gum disease, hiccups, low blood pressure, menstrual cramps, skin problems, and swelling, and externally to treat painful joints, tired eyes, and wounds. YIELD Medicinal properties are presented as information only, and are not a recommendation or prescription for use. Consult a medical professional before using any herb medicinally. Parsley-anise-pepper flavor All parts are edible Good for indoor gardens Good for containers
Growing notes: Botanical name: Anthriscus cerefolium|Life cycle: Herbaceous annual|Hardiness zones: 3-10|Planting season: Spring, fall|Days to maturity: 40-60 days; can begin harvesting when 6" tall|Depth to plant seeds: 1/4" deep|Days to germinate (sprout): 14-28 days|Germination soil temps: 55F-65F|Spacing between plants: 9"-12" apart|Spacing between rows: 18"-24" apart|# of plants per sq. ft.: Appx. 1 plant per sq. ft|Soil types: Sandy, loamy, rich, moist, well-drained|Soil pH: 6.0-7.5|Sun needs: Full sun, part shade, full shade|Water needs: Average|Cold stratify: No|Frost tolerant: Yes|Heat tolerant: No|Drought tolerant: No|Deer resistant: Yes|Culinary use: Yes|Medicinal use: Yes|Good companion plants: Broccoli, Carrot, Cilantro/Coriander, Dill, Lettuce, Mint, Radish, Yarrow|More facts about Chervil:
View on Seeds Now ↗▸Curled40–60 days
Heirloom; Non-GMO; Container; Annual
Non-GMO, Heirloom Curled Chervil Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Anthriscus cerefolium. These hardy annual herbs produce as a cool season crop and originate from Southeast Europe and West Asia. Curled Chervil Herbs are one of the classic French "fines herbes" along with parsley, tarragon and chives. The fresh bright-green lacey leaves of chervil have also been used for medicinal benefits, such as treating gout, sore throat and skin irritations like eczema"making Curled Chervil a diverse addition to your herb garden!
View on True Leaf Market ↗▸Winter45–65 days
Heirloom; Non-GMO; Container; Annual
Non-GMO, Heirloom Winter Chervil Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Anthriscus cerefolium. These annual herbs produce as an abundant crop and originate from Southeast Europe and West Asia. Winter Chervil reigns as one of the four popular "fines herbes" of French cuisine, along with parsley, tarragon and chives. As a member of the carrot family, Winter Chervil develops thin forest-green leaves and reaches 10-15" tall. These mildly sweet and anise-flavored plants can also grow as a cool season biennial with ideal conditions, as you allow this more hardy variety of chervil to go to seed.
View on True Leaf Market ↗
Plant spacing
In a square-foot bed, space chervil about 6 in apart — that fits 4 plants in each 1-foot square (2×2). Wider rows or containers space the same.
Plan your chervil planting
Add chervil to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Refrigerate stems in water, or wrap in a damp towel for a few days.
- Dry: Dehydrate or air-dry, then store airtight away from light.
- Freeze: Freeze chopped in oil or water in ice-cube trays.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Companion planting — with cited sources
From US/Canada cooperative-extension publications and peer-reviewed studies. Evidence-tier dots show how strongly each recommendation is backed: ●●● peer-reviewed mechanism · ●● extension consensus · ● traditional knowledge with a plausible mechanism.
Pairs well with (8)
- BroccoliEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- CarrotEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- Cilantro/CorianderEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- DillEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- LettuceEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- MintEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- RadishEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- YarrowEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
Sources cited
- S46
- SeedsNow.com — vendor grow-guide companion lists (traditional/vendor knowledge, not extension-verified)
Care & troubleshooting— extension-sourced, with citations
When to feed, prune & water
Attract beneficial insects and protect pollinators
Protection- Routine carePlant insectary flowers and tolerate light pestsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Grow a diversity of flowering plants (including small-flowered umbels and asters) to feed predators and parasitoids, and tolerate low pest numbers so natural enemies have prey to stick around.
- Routine careNever spray open bloomsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Avoid insecticides on flowering plants and apply any needed sprays in the evening when pollinators aren't active, and favor selective products over broad-spectrum ones to spare bees and beneficials.
Mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture
Mulch- Routine careApply organic mulch around plantsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Spread a few inches of straw, shredded leaves, or compost around established plants (keeping it off stems) to hold soil moisture, suppress weeds, and moderate soil temperature; wait until soil has warmed for heat-loving crops.
Plan crop rotation
Rotation- Routine careRotate plant families between bedsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Avoid planting the same family in the same bed in consecutive years (aim for a 3+ year gap), grouping crops by family so soilborne diseases and pests that build up don't carry over to the next susceptible crop.
- Routine careSequence for soil healthmoderate evidence — extension confidence
Follow heavy feeders like tomatoes and brassicas with legumes or a cover crop to support soil fertility and structure, and keep simple notes each year so you can track where each family grew.
Thin crowded seedlings to final spacing
Thinning- Routine careThin to ~2 in spacing, then again later· every 3 wks · ~3 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence
Crowded carrots stay small and forked. Thin to about 1 in when seedlings are 2-3 in tall, then to 2-3 in a few weeks later. Snip rather than pull to avoid disturbing neighbors.
Clean up debris and sanitize at season end
SanitationUnusual this time of year.
- Routine careRemove spent plants and fallen debrisstrong evidence — extension confidence
Pull and clear old plants, dropped fruit, and leaf litter at season end, since many pests and diseases overwinter in this debris; dispose of diseased material rather than composting it.
- Routine careClean tools, stakes, and cagesmoderate evidence — extension confidence
Wash and sanitize stakes, cages, and tools that touched diseased plants before storing or reusing them to avoid carrying pathogens into next season.
Something looks wrong?
Describe what you see on your cherviland we'll rank the likely causes — most likely first, least-invasive fix first.
Bacterial soft rot
Diseasesevere- CulturalRemove rotting plants and produce (manage, not cure)strong evidence — extension confidence
Soft rot can't be cured once tissue breaks down; promptly remove and discard affected plants and produce so the bacteria don't spread to neighbors or other stored vegetables.
- CulturalAvoid wounds and excess moisturestrong evidence — extension confidence
Harvest in dry conditions, handle gently to avoid bruising, control insects that create entry wounds, and improve drainage; cure and store bulbs and roots cool and dry.
- CulturalDon't overwater and rotatemoderate evidence — extension confidence
Avoid waterlogged soil and overhead watering that splashes bacteria, and rotate away from previously affected fleshy crops to lower disease pressure.
Southern blight
Diseasesevere- CulturalRemove infected plants and surrounding soil (manage, not cure)strong evidence — extension confidence
Once a plant collapses it can't be cured; dig out the plant plus the top few inches of nearby soil containing sclerotia and dispose of it, avoiding spread on tools.
- CulturalBury residue and rotatemoderate evidence — extension confidence
Deep-turn soil to bury sclerotia, remove crop debris at season end, and rotate susceptible solanaceous and legume crops with grasses for several seasons.
- CulturalAdjust soil pH and plant earlymoderate evidence — extension confidence
Maintain soil pH at the level recommended for the crop, since the disease is worse in low-pH soils, and time plantings so harvest begins before peak summer heat favors the fungus.
White mold (Sclerotinia stem rot)
Diseasesevere- CulturalRemove infected plants (manage, not cure)strong evidence — extension confidence
There's no cure for an infected plant; cut out and bag affected plants including the black sclerotia, and don't compost them, since sclerotia survive years in soil.
- CulturalOpen the canopy and rotatestrong evidence — extension confidence
Space plants widely, control weeds, orient rows to prevailing wind, and avoid overhead watering at bloom to dry the canopy; rotate to non-host crops (corn or other grasses) for several years.
- CulturalWater at the base, not overheadmoderate evidence — extension confidence
Use drip or soaker irrigation to keep foliage and the soil surface drier, which discourages the sclerotia germination and mycelial growth that drive white mold.
Carrot rust fly
Pestmoderate- CulturalRow cover + delay sowingstrong evidence — extension confidence
Cover the bed with insect netting from sowing, and avoid the spring egg-laying peak by sowing a little later. Crop rotation helps.
Root rot from overwatering / poor drainage
Diseasemoderate- CulturalLet soil drain and water lessstrong evidence — extension confidence
Water root rots like Pythium thrive in saturated soil, so cut back watering, let the surface dry between irrigations, and water at the base rather than keeping soil constantly wet.
- CulturalImprove drainage and aerationstrong evidence — extension confidence
Use raised beds, loosen compacted soil, and add organic matter to improve drainage; remove plants that are already rotted since affected roots won't recover.
Tarnished plant bug / lygus
Pestmoderate- CulturalManage surrounding weedsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Keep broadleaf weeds mowed or removed around the garden, since lygus build up on flowering weeds and move to crops as those weeds dry down; avoid mowing large weedy areas right beside fruiting crops at bloom.
- CulturalVacuum or shake plants to monitor and reduce· every 5 daysmoderate evidence — extension confidence
Tap plants over a light-colored tray to check for nymphs; a handheld vacuum used once or twice weekly can hold low to moderate numbers down on small plantings.
- OrganicTreat nymphs if damage is building· every 1 wkmoderate evidence — extension confidence
For active nymph infestations, azadirachtin or a Beauveria bassiana product can give some control per the label; preserve the parasitic wasps and other natural enemies that help suppress lygus.
Aphids
Pestlow- CulturalBlast off with water· every 3 days · ~2 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence
Knock colonies off with a strong jet of water in the morning; repeat every few days. Light infestations rarely need more.
- OrganicInsecticidal soap - label use only· every 1 wk · ~3 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence
For persistent colonies apply insecticidal soap to undersides per label. Avoid open flowers.