How to Grow Chervil From Seed

Chervil is a true cool-season herb, so grow it in the mild weather of spring and fall and skip the heat of high summer. Direct-sow it in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, and again in late summer for an autumn crop, aiming for a couple of frost-free months of cool growing. Because it bolts fast once it warms, sow a fresh short row every three to four weeks for a steady supply.

Chervil has a delicate taproot and dislikes transplanting, so always sow it right where it will grow, ideally in part shade in rich, moist soil. Barely cover the seeds, since they need a little light to germinate, and keep the surface evenly moist at a cool 55 to 65F. Seedlings appear in about 10 to 14 days. Thin them to about 6 to 9 inches apart.

Keep chervil cool, shaded, and moist and it stays tender and mild. It is one of the few herbs happiest with only about four hours of sun a day, so a spot with afternoon shade suits it well and slows bolting. Water regularly, never letting it dry out, and mulch to keep the roots cool. Pick often to encourage fresh leaves, and pinch out flower stalks as they appear to stretch the harvest. Chervil is a cool-weather herb everywhere. In the North and Pacific Northwest, spring and fall are its seasons; across the hot South and Southwest, treat it like a fall-through-winter crop, since it bolts within weeks once daytime highs climb into the 70s.

Chervil is a gentle, shade-loving companion that many gardeners tuck among other crops, where it is said to improve their flavor and draw beneficial insects. These four pair especially well, and you can add any of them in one click:

Start snipping once plants are a few inches tall, taking the outer leaves and stems near the base and leaving the young center to regrow. Harvest often and never more than about a third at a time. Use chervil fresh, since its delicate, anise-scented flavor fades quickly with drying and cooking. Let a plant or two flower at the end and it will often self-sow for next season.

Chervil is the quiet star of French cooking, one of the four classic fines herbes alongside parsley, chives, and tarragon. Its delicate, faintly anise flavor is best used fresh and added at the very end, snipped over scrambled eggs, fish, salads, and spring soups, or stirred into softened butter and light sauces. Because heat dulls it, treat chervil as a finishing herb rather than a cooking one.

• Bolting: heat makes chervil flower fast and turn bitter. Grow it cool and shaded, keep it moist, and resow every few weeks.
• Wilting or scorched leaves: usually too much sun or dry soil. Move it to part shade and water more often.
• Slow germination: keep the soil cool and evenly moist, and only barely cover the seeds, as they need light.
• Bitter or coarse leaves: a sign the plant is stressed by heat and about to bolt; harvest what you can and start a fresh cool-season sowing.