How to Grow

How to Grow Chervils | Complete Growing Guide

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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. Source: Wikimedia Commons

7 sources cited · Verified

The short answer

Ready in
56–63 days
Site
soil pH 6–7

In the UK, chervils are ready to harvest 56–63 days after planting.

Chervils (Anthriscus cerefolium) — annual.

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

At a Glance

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. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium var cerefolium) blühend--Josef Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Anthriscus cerefolium Chervil Aphids Slugs Snails Caterpillars PESTS

Quick Facts

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. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium var cerefolium) blühend--Josef Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 7
Optimal growing temp 7-21C
Minimum survivable temp 4C
Time to harvest 56-63 days
Drainage Well-drained
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts leaves

Soil & Growing Conditions

Detail of chervil leaves and flowers — “20150423Anthriscus cerefolium2” by AnRo0002 is licensed under CC0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“20150423Anthriscus cerefolium2” by AnRo0002 is licensed under CC0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Soil pH range

6 7

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

Growth Stages

Lacy chervil foliage — “Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium) mit Echter Mehltau (Erysiphe heraclei) Befall, Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium) mit Echter Mehltau (Erysiphe heraclei) Befall, Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
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 — “Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium) getrocknet, Josef Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium) getrocknet, Josef Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

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 — “Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium) mit Echter Mehltau (Erysiphe heraclei) Befall, Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium) mit Echter Mehltau (Erysiphe heraclei) Befall, Schlaghecken” by Schlaghecken Josef is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Aphididae (various spp.)

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Snails

Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)

Caterpillars
low

Lepidoptera larvae

RHS names this directly.

References

  1. country=INTL

  2. country=INTL

  3. country=UK

  4. country=UK

  5. Directly fetched and verified. RHS explicitly does not recommend pesticide use against aphids; recommends tolerance, manual squashing, and encouraging/purchasing natural predators (ladybirds, hoverflies, lacewings, parasitoid wasps, earwigs) as biological control, especially under glass.

  6. Directly fetched and verified (canonical URL differs from requested URL /biodiversity/slugs -> redirects to /biodiversity/slugs-and-snails). RHS explicitly advises against slug pellets (even organic) due to wildlife harm, and cites RHS's own controlled trial finding no damage reduction from physical barriers (copper tape, bark mulch, eggshell, grit, wool) -- while also noting some other studies have shown copper barriers to repel slugs, a preserved disagreement rather than a silently resolved one. Details Nemaslug (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) biological control including application temperature range and its lack of effect on snails specifically.

  7. country=USA

7 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do chervils take to grow?

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

What soil pH do chervils 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

Science-based growing guides · Thresholds that hold in any climate

This guide states the conditions the plant itself responds to — soil temperature, frost tolerance, day length — rather than dates, because the same calendar month means opposite seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. Anything genuinely restricted to one part of the world is named as such rather than presented as universal. Written and maintained by our editorial team against international horticultural research and extension sources.

Vegetable Growing Guides

Last verified 2026-08-29

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