Umbellifers (Apiaceae)
Umbellifers include fennel, celery, root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips, and herbs such as parsley and cilantro. Note that their leaves and umbrella-shaped flowers are very similar.
Many umbellifers are cool-season crops, especially carrots, parsnips, and parsley, which prefer spring and fall. However, some (like dill and fennel) can grow in warmer months.
Planting and harvesting umbellifers
Planting and propagating
Once umbellifers produce flowers, they will form seeds as the flowers dry. These seeds can then be collected and stored for planting next season. Since parsley and carrots are biennial, they take two growing seasons to produce seeds, so you’ll need to wait until the second year to harvest seeds from these plants.
We can sow their seeds directly into garden beds. Once the seedlings grow a few centimeters, thin them out to provide adequate space. Without thinning, root vegetables like carrots won’t have enough room to develop, resulting in many thin, underdeveloped roots. Proper spacing is essential: carrots and parsnips should be spaced 2-3 inches apart, while larger plants like celery and fennel need 8-10 inches to spread and grow properly.
I don’t thin parsley because it’s an herb that doesn’t require too much space for development.
Umbellifers require well-drained (even sandy) soil, especially those that grow into the ground (such as carrots and parsnips, as they need simple permeability for root growth). They grow well in slightly acidic to neutral soil rich in organic matter.
Sunlight
Most umbellifers thrive in full sun, but some (like parsley and celery) can tolerate partial shade, especially in hotter climates. If they have too much sunlight, they lose their green color and bloom prematurely.
Watering
Umbellifers need consistent (not excessive) watering. Adding mulch (light, not heavy and woody) can also be very helpful as it provides enough moisture. I grow parsley in partial shade, always covered with leaves from the nearby hazelnut. Thanks to this, it survives even light winters and grows by itself in the spring (during wintertime, I usually don’t water parsley).
Harvesting
We can harvest parsley and dill during their growing season because we use leaves. Collecting small parts of the plant instead of only leaves is useful – it’s basically pruning. This way, we can keep collected plants in the glass jar with water for a few days. We can also dry it (without sunlight to keep the green color) or freeze it.
Root vegetables like carrots and parsnips are ripe when the top of the vegetable starts to peek out of the soil. The leaves are lush and green, but if they begin to turn yellow, it’s a sign that the vegetable is overripe.
Ripe fennel has a white bulb at the base that should be plump and at least 3-4 inches (7.5-10 cm) wide; leaves are feathery and bright green. If the foliage is turning yellow, it might be past peak ripeness. The stalks should be firm and not floppy. Fennel is best harvested before it bolts. Bolting is a term used to describe when a plant sends up a tall flower stalk, which can make the plant less desirable for consumption.
Companion planting and interplanting with umbellifer plants
Due to their direct planting-sewing, I don’t recommend using them for interplanting. Anyway, there are exceptions, such as pairing carrots and onions (repelling pests mutually), parsnip and radishes (radishes grow and mature quickly, helping break the soil without giving slow-growing parsnip to develop later), and dill and cucumbers due to dill’s ability to improve cucumbers’ taste.
Umbellifers are ideal for companion planting, and we can plant them near alliums, leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, peas, and beans. They also benefit from flowers like nasturtium, marigolds, chamomile, and yarrow (remember that is perennial), as well as from herbs such as cilantro and lovage.
Because of nutrient competition and attraction of similar pests, we shouldn’t plant umbellifers near potatoes, celery, and brassicas.
Fennel should be grown far away from other plants because it inhibits the growth of many vegetables.
Harvesting times
Carrots: 60–80 days
Parsnips: 100–130 days
Celery: 85–120 days
Fennel: 60–90 days
Parsley: 70–90 days for full growth; 40–60 days for baby leaves
Dill: 40–60 days for leaves; 85–105 days for seeds.
Coriander (Cilantro): 45–70 days for leaves; 90–120 days for seeds.