Planting Cilantro Like a Professional Master Gardener

Cilantro is a fragrant herb with a bright, citrusy zest. The plants are fast growers and produce edible leaves within 40 days of planting seeds. Let’s unearth all the essentials for planting cilantro in your home herb garden to keep the plants healthy and productive.

Cilantro is an aromatic cool-season herb that grows best in the spring and fall when temperatures are between 50℉ and 85℉. When hot mid-summer weather arrives, cilantro quickly starts bolts or prematurely produces flowers and seeds. After bolting, cilantro leaves become bitter and inedible. However, you can harvest coriander seeds if you allow them to mature.

Growing cilantro in your herb garden is incredibly straightforward. Your efforts get rewarded with an abundant harvest of edible leaves, flowers, and seeds.

Fresh cilantro leaves are a familiar ingredient in many Mexican and Asian recipes. They frequently appear in salsas and dressings or get used as a garnish. Keep reading to learn how to grow cilantro in your climate so you can enjoy this tangy herb any time you’d like.

Best Tips and Tricks for Planting Cilantro

Before diving into the particulars of planting cilantro, it’s beneficial to understand a bit about the plant’s life cycle. Coriandrum sativum is cilantro’s botanical name. It’s a fast-growing annual herb in the Umbillifer plant family, along with carrots, celery, dill, fennel, parsnips, and parsley.

Cilantro leaves remain edible longer in the cool weather of spring and fall than in mid-summer heat. When temperatures are above 85℉, the plants bolt and go to seed within several weeks.

Succession planting is an excellent way to have an endless supply of fresh cilantro leaves throughout the entire growing season. Sow seeds every two to three weeks, beginning in late spring until four to six weeks before your region’s expected first frost.

Cilantro plants can’t survive temperatures below freezing. Protect tender young plants from late spring frosts with floating row covers or a cold frame.

Did you know there are dozens of cilantro varieties? Here are some ideal types of cilantro for home gardens.

Top Cilantro Varieties

• Calypso (heirloom, bolt-resistant, 18-24 inches tall, 9-12 inches wide, 50-55 days to harvest)
• Confetti (hybrid, subtle flavor, 18-24 inches tall, 9-12 inches wide, 30-35 days to harvest)
• Desert Blush (heirloom, bolt-resistant, high yields, 20-26 inches tall, 10-14 inches wide, 35-40 days to harvest)
• La Reina Baja (heirloom, pungent flavor, 16-22 inches tall, 9-12 inches wide, 55-70 days to harvest)
• Lemon (hybrid, compact growth habit, light citrusy flavor, 15-20 inches tall, 8-10 inches wide, 40-50 days to harvest)
• Santo (hybrid, bolt-resistant, mild flavor, 18-24 inches tall, 9-12 inches wide, 50-55 days to harvest)

Planting Cilantro Seeds

For the best possible results, plant cilantro seeds directly in your garden beds or containers once the soil temperature is consistently above 55℉. Since the plants are so fast-growing, there’s no significant advantage to starting seeds indoors. In addition, the young plants’ sensitive taproots may get accidentally damaged during the transplanting process.

Sow cilantro seeds about a quarter to half-inch deep in moist, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. If you’re growing cilantro just for the leaves, thin out the seedlings to about two inches apart. For harvesting coriander seeds, spacing between plants should be eight to ten inches.

In high heat, cilantro plants complete their life cycle in approximately four to six weeks. Try succession planting cilantro seeds every other week throughout the growing season. The fresh new cilantro plants will be ready for harvesting as the older ones start bolting.

Growing Conditions for Cilantro Plants

Cilantro plants are remarkably versatile and grow well in a variety of conditions. While the plants grow fastest in full sun, they won’t bolt as quickly in partial shade.

Keep your garden soil healthy by adding a generous amount of organic compost in late fall or early spring every few years. Cilantro plants aren’t heavy feeders and don’t usually require supplemental fertilizer. They prefer a mildly acidic soil pH level of around 6.5.

Cilantro needs consistently moist soil. However, avoid overwatering and allow the top few inches of your garden soil to dry out between watering.

Use organic material like bark chips, grass clippings, leaves, pine needles, or straw as mulch. Doing so helps insulate the soil, retain moisture, protect against wind erosion, and discourage weeds.

How Long Does it Take for Cilantro to Grow?

On average, you can expect to begin harvesting cilantro leaves 45 to 70 days after planting seeds. However, the exact cilantro harvest time depends on soil temperature, moisture levels, and which variety you’re growing.

If you’re interested in harvesting coriander seeds, leave the plants alone once they start flowering. The leaves will become more sparse as the plant directs more energy toward seed production. Coriander seeds are usually ready to harvest two to three weeks after the flowers bloom.

Harvesting Homegrown Cilantro Leaves

Harvesting cilantro leaves frequently helps prolong the plants’ lifespan and delay bolting. Pick your fresh cilantro leaves as needed, beginning when the stems are six inches long.

Since cilantro has a relatively short shelf life, it’s best only to harvest what you’ll use within the next few days. When trimming cilantro leaves, collect the oldest, outermost ones first. Always sterilize your pruners after each use to avoid accidentally spreading plant diseases.

Take note of the plant’s overall performance to decide when to pick cilantro. Unless you’re going to harvest coriander seeds, cut the whole plant from its base as soon as you see flower buds for the best possible taste and texture. Cilantro flowers are also edible.

How to Collect Coriander Seeds

Temperatures must stay over 75℉ for cilantro plants to flower. If you’re saving coriander seeds for culinary use or planting next year, wait to harvest until after the plant stops flowering, when most of the foliage dries out and turns brown. The seed pods should appear light brown and be completely dry before collecting them.

To gather coriander seeds, cut the dry seed heads with at least four inches of stem. Tie the stems together and place them upside down inside a paper bag.

Store your coriander seeds in a cool, dry place for two or three weeks while they cure. When the seeds are fully dry, most will pop off the stems into the paper bag.

Storing Fresh Cilantro

Fresh cilantro leaves have a short shelf life. When stored in a sealed plastic bag, they only last for four to seven days. However, there are some clever tricks for helping your cilantro last longer.

Cilantro leaves stay fresh for up to a month when stored in a glass or repurposed jar like a flower bouquet. Place an inch of water in the bottom, loosely cover the leaves with a plastic bag, and keep it on a shelf in your fridge. Refresh the water every few days, and discard any wilted, yellow, or slimy leaves immediately. This strategy also works well for other herbs and leafy greens like mint, parsley, oregano, rosemary, chard, and kale.

Alternatively, wrap fresh cilantro stems in a dampened paper towel and store the bunch in an airtight container. This protects the herbs from bruising and holds in moisture without smothering them.

Drying or freezing cilantro is an excellent way to extend its shelf life. Discard any spoiled leaves, then rinse and air-dry your cilantro bunch. Seal it inside an airtight freezer bag or hang it upside down to cure in a cool, dry location.

Companion Planting Cilantro

Plant aromatic herbs and flowers alongside your veggies to get a little gardening help from Mother Nature. Cilantro is an excellent companion plant in the vegetable garden. The lacelike leaves and flowers attract beneficial insects like hoverflies, lacewings, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps that prey on aphids and other common garden pests.

Cilantro’s strong scent repels troublesome insect pests like cabbage moths, potato beetles, and spider mites. This herb makes a good companion for cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Another vital consideration for companion planting is each plant’s growing conditions. Plant cilantro with other moisture-loving herbs like anise, basil, chervil, dill, and parsley.

Troubleshooting Pest and Disease Problems

Although cilantro is generally straightforward to grow, the plants occasionally suffer from various pest and disease issues. Healthy plants are significantly more resilient, so giving them appropriate amounts of light, nutrients, and water is their best defense.

The most prevalent cilantro pests are aphids and armyworms. Symptoms of an aphid infestation include discoloration and curling of the leaves, stunted growth, and a sticky, sooty residue on plant surfaces. If the infestation is mild, spray them off with a garden hose. Eradicate a severe aphid infestation with an organic pesticide like horticultural oil, neem oil, or insecticidal soap.

Armyworms are moth larvae that chew holes in cilantro leaves and stems. They normally appear in late summer and early fall. Hand-pick the caterpillars off your plants, or spray with neem oil or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

Common fungal diseases that affect cilantro plants include damping-off and powdery mildew. Damping-off affects seeds and seedlings, causing poor germination and seedling death. Soaking cilantro seeds in chamomile tea before planting helps prevent this fungal disease. Learn more about how to prevent damping off in this article from the University of Minnesota Extension.

Powdery mildew appears as a fluffy white coating on cilantro leaves and stems. Low light and poor air circulation contribute to a powdery mildew problem. Remove any affected leaves and spray the plants with an organic copper or sulfur fungicide or neem oil.

Or, try this super-effective DIY fungicide spray using simple ingredients you probably have at home already. This treatment also kills soft-bodied insects like aphids and spider mites.

DIY Fungicide/Insecticidal Soap Spray

• 1/2 gallon of water
• 1 tablespoon each of baking soda and vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of mild dish soap

Pour all the ingredients into a sterilized spray bottle and shake well to blend. Spray all plant surfaces every two or three days until the symptoms disappear. If you’ve had issues with fungal diseases in the past, spray once each week as a preventative strategy.

Growing cilantro in your herb garden is rewarding and satisfying. All that’s required is a planting location with full sun and moist, fertile soil. Succession planting cilantro seeds every two or three weeks gives you a continuous supply of fresh cilantro throughout the growing season. When to harvest cilantro depends on your intended culinary uses.

Do you have any recommendations or questions about planting cilantro? Please share them in the comments! We hope you enjoyed these herb gardening tips and would greatly appreciate it if you’d share this post about how to plant cilantro with your green-thumbed friends and family.