Herbculinary herbSome care needed

Chervil

Anthriscus cerefolium

The herb that behaves like nothing else in the bed: it wants shade, it wants cool weather, and it bolts faster than coriander if it gets neither. Grown as an autumn and early-spring crop it is one of the easiest herbs there is; sown in May in a sunny spot it will be in flower before it is worth picking.

Position: Partial shade or Dappled shade
Water: moderate demand
Drainage: Moisture-retentive
Grows to: 30–45 cm × 20–25 cm
Hardiness: H5
Harvest: April to November
Difficulty: Some care needed

Described view

Chervil foliage beside flat-leaved parsley, showing chervil's finer, more divided and paler leaf

August

Sow outdoors

Coming next month: harvest.

Chervil’s year

Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.

Activity	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sow outdoors			March.	April.				August.	September.
Harvest				April.	May.	June.			September.	October.	November.

Timing that travels

The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.

What kind of herb this is

Herbs are a kitchen grouping rather than a botanical one, and the plants in it want opposite things. This is the one distinction that decides how to treat it.

Cool-season leafy herb

Growing regime

source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — growing

Checked 2026-08-13

Grows fast in cool moist conditions and runs to flower in heat or drought. Sow little and often rather than trying to keep one sowing going through summer.

Treated the same way: coriander, dill, parsley. The herb bed, split by regime

Indoors: Indoors spring to autumn

Where the indoor assessment comes from

IndoorsSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — growing indoors
Checked 2026-08-13

Almost any herb will sit on a windowsill in July. This is about whether it is still there in March, which is the part a pot on a supermarket shelf does not tell you.

What happens when it flowers

On a herb this is rarely a problem and rarely nothing. It is the point at which the plant stops being what you grew it for — by a lot, a little, or not at all.

Ends leaf production

source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — harvesting

Checked 2026-08-13

Chervil bolts faster than any other herb here, and heat rather than age is what triggers it. Sow in shade from midsummer, and treat it as an autumn and spring crop rather than a summer one.

source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — growing

Checked 2026-08-13

Conditions it needs

Light: Partial shade, Dappled shade
Frost: Hardy
Hardiness rating: H5 (RHS)
Grows best at: 10–18 °C
Soil: Loam, Silt, Peat-free compost
Soil pH: 6–7.5
Drainage: Moisture-retentive
Water needs: moderate
Drought: poor tolerance
Waterlogging: moderate tolerance
Heat: poor tolerance
Wind and exposure: moderate tolerance

Where these figures come from

LightSourced guidancemoderate confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — position

Checked 2026-08-13

FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — hardiness

Checked 2026-08-13

Hardiness ratingSourced guidancemoderate confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: RHS hardiness ratings

Checked 2026-08-13

Grows best atSourced guidancemoderate confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — temperature

Checked 2026-08-13

SoilSourced guidancemoderate confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Soil pHSourced guidancemoderate confidence

Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Anthriscus cerefolium — culture

Checked 2026-08-13

DrainageSourced guidancemoderate confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

DroughtHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

WaterloggingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

Heat is what makes it bolt, and it needs very little.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

On your soil

Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.

Soil	Verdict	Why
Heavy clay	Grows well here	Chervil grows perfectly well on heavy clay without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Sandy	Works, with one condition	Chervil will crop on sandy, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It has little drought tolerance and this soil dries out fast — it will check and bolt in the first dry spell without watering.Water and mulch will carry it through. On this soil the watering is not optional in a dry spell, which is the difference between a crop and a failure.
Chalky and alkaline	Works, with one condition	Chervil will crop on chalky and alkaline, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It has little drought tolerance and this soil dries out fast — it will check and bolt in the first dry spell without watering.Water and mulch will carry it through. On this soil the watering is not optional in a dry spell, which is the difference between a crop and a failure.
Loam	Prefers this soil	Loam suits Chervil as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7.5, and this soil is in that range. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering.
Silty	Prefers this soil	Silty suits Chervil as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7.5, and this soil is in that range. Silt is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering.
Peaty and acid	Grows well here	Chervil grows perfectly well on peaty and acid without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Shallow over rock	Works, with one condition	Chervil will crop on shallow over rock, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It has little drought tolerance and this soil dries out fast — it will check and bolt in the first dry spell without watering.Water and mulch will carry it through. On this soil the watering is not optional in a dry spell, which is the difference between a crop and a failure.
Made ground and urban soil	Grows well here	Chervil grows perfectly well on made ground and urban soil without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.

Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.

Space and spacing

Mature height: 30–45 cm
Mature spread: 20–25 cm
Rooting depth: 20 cm
Spacing: 20–25 cm apart

Where these figures come from

Mature heightHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature spreadHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
SpacingSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — spacing
Checked 2026-08-13

Measured centre to centre. Plants set closer than this compete for light and water long before they look crowded, and the crowding cannot be undone once they are in.

In a container

Minimum volume: 5 litres or more
Minimum depth: 20 cm

Where the container figures come from

Minimum volumeHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Minimum depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13

One of the few herbs that actively wants a shaded pot, which makes it useful for a north-facing sill or doorway where nothing else will grow. Keep it damp and sow again through the season rather than expecting one pot to last.

Where and how you can grow it

Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.

Method	Suitability	What it needs
Open ground	Well suited source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Traditional dug bed	Well suited source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Raised bed	Well suited source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Container	Well suited source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13	5 litres; A shaded position
Greenhouse	Workable source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Polytunnel	Workable source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Windowsill	Workable source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13	One of the few herbs a north-facing sill actually suits, because it does not want sun.
Hydroponics	Workable source GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence Fast and soft-leaved, and it bolts in warmth — so it suits a system running cool and fails in one running warm, which is the reverse of most crops here. GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ Checked 2026-08-13

Growing it

ProtectionSow in the shade of taller plants from May onwards, or do not sow at all until August. Chervil in full sun in summer runs to flower within weeks whatever else you do for it.
PropagationLet one plant run to seed and it will sow itself where it is happy, which is usually a better spot than the one you chose. Chervil hates being moved, so self-sown seedlings left where they appear outperform anything transplanted.
WateringKeep it damp and keep it shaded — chervil bolts faster than coriander when it is hot and dry, and those two things usually arrive together. Water the soil rather than the foliage, mulch to hold moisture, and site it where something else casts shade in the afternoon. A chervil that has wilted is generally already lost as a leaf crop.
FeedingNone needed. Chervil is a quick crop grown in cool weather on soil with a little compost in it, and it is pulled long before it could exhaust anything. Feeding pushes soft growth that aphids find first.
SowingSow direct where it is to grow — it has a taproot and bolts if moved — thinly, about 1 cm deep, and thin to 20 cm. The sowings that matter are the late ones: seed put in during August and September gives the best crop of the year, standing through autumn and picking again in early spring, while a May sowing runs to flower almost immediately. Sow again every few weeks rather than expecting one sowing to last.
HarvestingStart cutting about eight weeks after sowing, taking the outer leaves and leaving the centre to grow on. Use it fresh and add it at the end of cooking: chervil's delicate aniseed flavour is destroyed by heat and it does not dry, which is why it is a herb worth growing rather than buying.

Where this guidance comes from

ProtectionSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — growing
Checked 2026-08-13
PropagationSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — sowing
Checked 2026-08-13
WateringSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — cultivation
Checked 2026-08-13
FeedingSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — cultivation
Checked 2026-08-13
SowingSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — sowing
Checked 2026-08-13
HarvestingSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — harvesting
Checked 2026-08-13

The rule is the same in all four: the new piece needs both a growing point and roots of its own. A cutting is the exception that has to make its roots afterwards, which is why the node matters so much.

Is it worth putting under cover?

Whether it will grow there is on the methods table above. This is whether the space is well spent, which is a different question and usually the one being asked.

Structure	What protection is worth	What decides it
Greenhouse	Extends the season source GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence What protection is worth for this crop, judged against the same standard as every other record in this file. GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ Checked 2026-08-13	Bolting. Chervil hates heat and bolts in a warm house in summer; it is a cool-season crop and the protected window is autumn to spring.
Polytunnel	Extends the season source GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence What protection is worth for this crop, judged against the same standard as every other record in this file. GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ Checked 2026-08-13	Bolting.

On a windowsill

Spring to autumn

source

GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence

How long the crop is actually productive on an ordinary British windowsill without added light.

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ

Checked 2026-08-13

Productive from roughly March to October and not after. Growth stops when the light does, and a plant pushed through the dark months usually does not recover. Heat. It bolts in a warm room faster than it does outdoors, so a cool bright sill is better than a warm one.

Growing it without soil

Nearly anything can be grown in a soilless system by somebody with enough equipment. The useful question is whether it is worth it, in which technique, and what goes wrong.

Works with conditions

Succeeds when the conditions listed here are met and fails when they are not. The conditions are the answer, not a caveat.

source

GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence

Fast and soft-leaved, and it bolts in warmth — so it suits a system running cool and fails in one running warm, which is the reverse of most crops here.

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ

Checked 2026-08-13

Techniques that suit it

Nutrient film (NFT)A shallow stream of solution runs over bare roots in a sloped channel. Cheap and productive for small fast crops; a pump failure kills a crop within hours because there is no reservoir at the roots.
Ebb and flowA bed of inert medium floods and drains on a timer. The medium holds moisture between floods, which makes it far more tolerant of interruption than NFT.

source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Root space: Small.
Lighting: Needs supplementary light
pH band: 5.5–6.5

Where these figures come from

Root spaceHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

LightingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

pH bandSourced guidancehigh confidence

Outside roughly this band, individual nutrients become unavailable even when they are present in the solution — which is why a crop can starve in a full reservoir.

Purdue Extension — Purdue University: Hydroponic solution management — pH

Checked 2026-08-13

What actually goes wrong

Warm solution. Above roughly 22 °C the water holds much less dissolved oxygen and root disease follows quickly, which is why summer is harder than winter in an indoor system.
source
Sourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Purdue Extension — Purdue University: Solution temperature and dissolved oxygen
Checked 2026-08-13

No nutrient recipes here

GrowingHQ records pH bands, which are measurable properties of nutrient availability, and deliberately records no EC or PPM targets and no mixing instructions. Published targets vary by cultivar, growth stage, water source and technique, and the figures that apply to your system are on the product you bought.

Harvesting

When it is readyReady about eight weeks from sowing, once the plant has made four or five good leaves and before any sign of a central stem elongating. Chervil bolts early and fast, and the leaf goes thin and loses its aniseed flavour as soon as it does — the plants to pick hardest are the ones just starting to run.
How to pick itCut outer leaves at the base with scissors, leaving the centre to grow on. It does not dry usefully; freeze it chopped in oil or water if there is a surplus.

Where the harvest guidance comes from

When it is readySourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Chervil — harvesting
Checked 2026-08-13
How to pick itHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13

What goes wrong

Problem	How often	Notes
Bolting	common source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13
Slugs and snails	occasional source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13

Sources for this page

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Plant Finder · Royal Horticultural Society

Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-15.