How to Grow Cilantro

Helpful gardening guides

• How to Start a Garden

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

• Sow outdoors 0 to 2 weeks after your last spring frostSow in early spring after the danger of a hard freeze has passed. Sow again in cooler fall weather where the season allows.

• Ready to pick about 45 to 80 days from sowing.
• For a steady supply, sow a few more every 18 days.

What you need

• 
  How to start itFrom seedYou can sow it straight into the ground.
• 
  How deep to plant0.25 to 0.5 in

• 
  How far apart3 to 6 inLeave 12 in between rows.

Step by step

1. 1Choose a cool growing windowPlant in spring or fall when the weather is mild. In warm regions, fall and winter are often easier.
2. 2Sow where it will growPlant seeds a quarter to half an inch deep. Cilantro grows quickly, so direct sowing keeps the process simple.
3. 3Thin crowded seedlingsLeave about 3 to 6 inches between plants so air and light reach the leaves.
4. 4Keep the soil evenly moistWater deeply when the surface begins to dry, but let extra water drain away.
5. 5Pick at about 6 inches tallSnip older outer leaves first and leave the center to keep growing.
6. 6Sow another small batchRepeat every 2 to 3 weeks for a steadier supply before hot weather makes the plants flower.

Common mistakes

• Planting during hot weatherHeat and long days push cilantro into flowering quickly, leaving less time for leafy harvests.
• Sowing only onceOne planting can flower before you are ready. Sow a small new batch every few weeks.
• Keeping the soil soggyCilantro likes steady moisture, but its roots still need air and drainage.

Water

Average thirst

Keep the soil evenly moist. In a garden bed, one deep watering a week is a useful starting point, adjusted for rain and heat.

• Too dry
• About right
• Too wet

• If it goes drySuffers quickly when dry
• If it stays wetDislikes sitting wet

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: Start picking when plants are about 6 inches tall and have plenty of fresh leaves. Flowering means the leafy harvest is nearing its end.

Snip the older outer leaves and stems as needed. You can also cut a whole plant about an inch above the ground for a possible second flush.

• Keeping itKeeps 7 daysRefrigerate cut leaves for about a week, or stand the stems like a bouquet in water in the refrigerator. Freeze extra leaves because drying removes much of their flavor.

Questions people ask