How to Grow Cilantro
Part of the parsley family, cilantro is used in many Asian and Tex-Mex style recipes. Cilantro easily grows in any type of soil and prefers to be outside particularly in the spring and early fall. By using both the leaves and the seeds, you can add great flavor to your cooking. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Wash the seeds in dish soap and rinse completely. Let them air dry until they are no longer wet and mostly dried. Plant them outside in a well-draining soil in full sun, or in the shade if you live in a hot climate.
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Space the seeds about an inch apart and a half-inch deep in the soil. Cilantro grows tall and needs room, so keep the rows at least 15 inches apart. Make sure there's no risk of frost when you plant.
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Harvest the cilantro leaves when the plant is 6-inches tall. Be sure to cut leaves that are further from the central stalk. As the plant grows, cut leaves sparingly if you want to harvest the coriander seeds. If you don't want coriander seeds, continue to trim the flower heads off the plant.
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Cut the stems of the dead flowers when the plants are 2 years old. Tie the heads together and hang them upside down over a container. The seeds will fall into the container and dry. Not cutting the flower stalks will allow the cilantro to continuously reseed itself every few weeks.
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Try a simpler approach if you're interested in maximizing your cilantro leaf harvest. Take a large planter and fill it with a soil that drains well. Wet the soil and mix the tiny cilantro seeds with sand to help you spread them evenly. After you spread them, cover the seeds with a light layer of soil and mist it to moisten.
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Keep the planter in full sunlight (or shade if you live in a hot climate). The seeds will begin to sprout in 7 to 10 days. After that, you can begin to harvest the plants weekly.
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Cut leaves from one area of the planter. The next time you return for more leaves, cut from a different spot. This will give you a continuous supply of leaves. If the cilantro begins to sprout flowers, cutting them will force the plant to spend more energy making leaves.
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Tips & Warnings
Cilantro is best when harvested at 6-inches tall.
Cilantro transplant well.
Toss out any cilantro that has been infested with insects.
Comments
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Mine dies every summer in the heat and also tends to sprout flowers before its got any real useable foliage! Not a helpful post!
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aichausa
May 04, 2010
Two years old? Really?? Would you please cite your research next time you write? Would appreciate a little more on this. -
swammich
Jan 19, 2010
Cilantro does NOT transplant well. In fact you will kill it if you transplant it. Direct sow into the pot or garden and don't move it. What about water? And how on earth will you cut a cilantro plant that is two years old? They don't live that long. This is a very short-lived plant. Did you do ANY research before writing this?
