Q What's the secret of getting parsley seed to germinate?

A Parsley seed is slow to germinate, and it’s suggested that the plants often die from disease before they get going. Giving the seed the heat it needs to germinate and trying to prevent diseases from killing it off early are proposed solutions to this problem.

The most successful technique we tried for our Which? Gardening magazine trial was  ‘fluid suspension’ drilling. This involves creating a gel from 1tbsp cornflour and 250ml water, which is boiled, cooled and then added to plastic bags containing the seed. The mixture is piped from the bag, like cake icing, evenly into each drill. The only problem with this technique is that the plants aren't evenly distributed along the rows.

An easier technique that works nearly as well is to pour a freshly-boiled kettle over your seedbed before sowing.