How to Grow Chervils

On this page
  1. Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
  2. At a Glance
  3. Quick Facts
  4. Soil & Growing Conditions
  5. Growth Stages
  6. Harvest & Storage
  7. Pests
  8. Chervil, a Delicate Aniseed-Flavoured Herb
  9. Plan your Chervils planting
  10. Growing Chervil in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Chervil is ready to harvest 56–63 days after planting.

The short answer

Ready in
56–63 days
Site
soil pH 6–7

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)

Chervil in flower with white umbels — “Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium var cerefolium) blühend--Josef Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

8 sources cited · Verified

At a Glance

Chervil in flower with white umbels
Chervil in flower with white umbels. Photo by Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Anthriscus cerefolium Chervil Aphids Slugs Snails Caterpillars PESTS

Quick Facts

Chervil in flower with white umbels
Chervil in flower with white umbels. Photo by Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 7
Optimal growing temp 7-21°C
Minimum growing temp 4°C
Time to harvest 56-63 days
Drainage Well-drained
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts leaves

Soil & Growing Conditions

Detail of chervil leaves and flowers
Detail of chervil leaves and flowers. Photo by AnRo0002, CC0.

Soil pH range

6 7

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Lacy chervil foliage
Lacy chervil foliage. Photo by Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing 0 Sow seed in spring and early summer in a cool, lightly shaded spot (RHS).
Transplanting 3 Move to final growing position as soon as possible, before the tap root forms (RHS).
Leaf harvest 6 Harvest lacy, aniseed-flavoured leaves regularly to encourage continued fresh growth (RHS).
Flowering 9 Flowers quickly, especially in hot weather, ending the leaf-harvest window (RHS).

Harvest & Storage

Dried chervil leaves
Dried chervil leaves. Photo by Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: RHS: leaves ready for harvesting "in about eight weeks from sowing"; choose "soft young leaves" once plants reach "at least 10cm (4in) tall", taking only a few from each plant, or remove all stems down to 5-7.5cm for larger harvests; "leaves become less palatable when the plant starts to flower". UMD: "Pick leaves just before the buds break. Cut and dry the green, tender leaves."

Storage

Best used fresh; can be dried

Pests

Lacy chervil foliage
Lacy chervil foliage. Photo by Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY 4.0.

Aphididae (various spp.)

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Snails

Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)

Caterpillars
low

Lepidoptera larvae

RHS names this directly.

Plan your Chervils planting

Timing for Chervils follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Chervil in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 8 sources behind this guide (FAO EcoCrop, GBIF, NC State Extension and others) is in the references of our UK guide to chervil; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does chervil take to grow?

Typically 56–63 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH does chervil need?

A pH of about 6–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides

Last verified 2026-09-02

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This guide in another region
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