Buzz
Cilantro (scientific name: Coriandrum Sativum) is an herb with dark green leaves and a fragrant, flavorful aroma. It is harvested while fresh and commonly used to enhance the taste of many dishes from Asia and Latin America. Cilantro is also known as coriander or Chinese parsley. It's relatively easy to grow. You can directly sow seeds into the soil once the weather warms up or plant them in a pot. Here's how to grow cilantro.
Steps
Growing Cilantro in the Garden
Choose the right time of year. The best time to plant cilantro depends on your location. Cilantro does not thrive in cold conditions but also doesn't do well in extremely hot environments. In temperate climates, the ideal time to start growing cilantro is late spring, between March and May. In tropical areas, cilantro tends to flourish during the cooler, dry months of the year, such as autumn.
- You can also successfully grow cilantro towards the end of summer, so it matures as the fall arrives.
- If the weather is too hot, cilantro will start to bolt, meaning it will flower and produce seeds. Therefore, it's important to carefully choose the best planting time. To find the perfect time, you can try sowing cilantro seeds indoors first and then transplant them outside when the weather is more favorable.
Prepare the planting site in your garden. Choose a location where cilantro will receive plenty of sunlight. The southern part of the plot should have some shade, as it can get very hot during the day. The soil should be light, well-drained, and have a pH level between 6.2 and 6.8.
- If you'd like to enrich the soil before planting, you can use a shovel, plow, or hoe to till the soil to a depth of 5-7 cm. Then, add organic mulch like compost, decaying leaves, or manure to the top layer. If you choose to use manure, make sure it’s composted or aged for at least three months to avoid burning the seedlings. Loosen the soil before planting.
Sow cilantro seeds. Plant the seeds about 0.6 cm deep, spacing them 15-20 cm apart, with each row about 30 cm apart. Cilantro seeds need ample moisture to germinate, so be sure to water them regularly. Each week, the seeds will need around 20 ml of water. The seeds should sprout within 2-3 weeks.
- Cilantro grows quickly, so every 2-3 weeks, sow a new batch of seeds to ensure a continuous supply of fresh herbs throughout the season.
Care for the cilantro plants. Once the seedlings reach about 5 cm tall, you can apply compost or organic fertilizer. Be careful not to over-fertilize. Instead, apply about 1/4 cup of fertilizer for every 7.5 meters of garden space.
- Once cilantro has grown, it generally doesn’t require much water. Keep the soil moist, but not too wet, as cilantro thrives in dry conditions.
Prevent overcrowding of cilantro plants. You can prevent cilantro from growing too densely by thinning out the seedlings when they are about 5-7 cm tall. Remove the weaker plants, allowing the healthiest ones to develop and space them about 20-25 cm apart. You can use the thinned plants in your cooking.
- You can also prevent weeds by adding a layer of mulch around the base of the plants as soon as the seeds sprout.
Harvest cilantro. To harvest cilantro, cut individual leaves and stems from the plant, cutting close to the ground when the stems are about 10-15 cm tall. Freshly harvested cilantro is best for cooking, as older, thicker leaves tend to have a bitter taste.
- Avoid cutting more than one-third of the plant’s leaves at a time to prevent weakening the plant.
- After harvesting the leaves, the plant will continue to grow for at least 2-3 more cycles.
Decide whether to let cilantro flower or not. Eventually, cilantro will bloom. Once it does, the plant will stop producing fresh, edible leaves. Some gardeners choose to cut off the flowers, hoping the plant will produce more leaves.
- However, if you want to harvest cilantro seeds, you should let the plant flower. Once the flowers dry, you can collect the cilantro seeds for cooking.
- Alternatively, you can allow the seeds to fall naturally to the ground, where they will germinate into new cilantro plants, providing you with more herbs for the next season. You can also store the dried seeds for planting in the following season.
Growing Cilantro in Pots
Choose the right pot. Select a container or bucket that is at least 45 cm wide and 20-25 cm deep. Cilantro doesn’t adapt well to being moved, so pick a pot large enough to accommodate the fully grown plant.
Sow the seeds. Use well-draining soil in your pot. You can mix in some fertilizer if you prefer. Add a small amount of water to moisten the soil, but don’t make it too soggy. Gently sprinkle the seeds over the soil, making sure they are evenly distributed. Cover them with about 0.6 cm of soil.
Place the pot in a sunny spot. Cilantro needs sunlight to grow. Therefore, position your pot in a sunny location, such as near a window or in a greenhouse. The south-facing side of a window typically receives the most sunlight, making it the ideal spot for your cilantro pot. The seeds will sprout within 7-10 days.
Keep the soil moist. It’s important to maintain soil moisture by using a spray bottle to mist the soil. Pouring water directly onto the soil can cause the seeds to be displaced.
Harvest cilantro. You can begin harvesting when the cilantro stems reach about 10-15 cm in length. To promote further growth, trim about two-thirds of the leaves each week. This way, you can harvest cilantro up to four times from a single pot.
Advice
- Cilantro tends to attract butterflies to your garden because they are drawn to its aroma, especially in the early morning and evening.
- 'Costa Rica,' 'Leisure,' and 'Long Standing' are excellent cilantro varieties to grow as they are slow to bolt (flower) and produce abundant leaves.
What You Need
- Shovel, plow, or hoe
- Organic material
- Coriander seeds
- Watering can or sprinkler
- Wood chips
- Compost or organic fertilizer
- Flower pot or container
- Sunlight
