How Do You Grow Cilantro Plant Successfully?
Ever wondered how to grow cilantro? A versatile herb that thrives in a dedicated garden space. With its lacy leaves gracing your garden in spring and fall, cilantro transforms as warmth arrives.
It produces tall flower stalks with white or pinkish blossoms that later yield coriander seeds.
Ideal for herb beds or vegetable garden corners, cilantro’s dual personality offers both immediate culinary delight and future seasoning possibilities.
In mild climates, it even stands resilient against light frost, making it a perfect winter companion to pansies.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a green beginner, cultivating cilantro promises a delightful journey connecting nature’s bounty to your kitchen.
Get ready for the joy of knowing how to grow your cilantro in your space.
How to Grow Cilantro Plants in Your Garden
Growing cilantro(coriander seeds) is like creating a little herb-safe place in your backyard.
Here’s your step-by-step guide for how to grow cilantro:
1. Perfect Season
Planting cilantro in the cool, friendly days of spring or fall, it’s like giving it the ideal starting point for a happy life.
2. Sunny Spot
Find a sunny spot in your garden that has well-drained soil with a pH of 6.2 to 6.8. Cilantro loves the sun, but if you live in a warmer area, let it have a little shade in the afternoon.
3. Rich Soil Magic
Make the soil cilantro’s best friend by mixing in some aged compost or other rich organic matter. If you’re doing the potted plant thing, grab a quality potting mix.
4. Stay Hydrated
Keep the soil moist because cilantro likes water. Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation if you want to be fancy.
5. Feed the Magic
Make your cilantro a happy camper by regularly giving it some plant food, that’s like a delicious treat for your green friend.
6. Give It Space
Let cilantro have its little patch. This way, it can spread its leafy wings and re-seed happily.
7. Personal Space Rules
Plant them about a foot apart or thin them out if they’re too close. It’s like giving each plant a comfortable elbow room.
8. Leaf Harvesting Art
When the leaves are big enough to be tempting, you can start harvesting. But don’t be too greedy but leave at least two-thirds of the plant to keep it happy.
9. Choose the Right Cilantro
Go for the slow-bolting kinds like Costa Rica, Long Standing, or Leisure. They’re like the overachievers of the cilantro world.
10. Pinch and Encourage
Give your young cilantro plants a little pinch. It’s not mean because it encourages them to grow bushier. Think of it as a friendly nudge for a fuller, leafier plant.
How to Care for Cilantro Plants
These are some of the ways you should care for your cilantro plants;
1. When picking cilantro, take no more than one-third of the plant at a time. Overharvesting can make your cilantro weak.
2. Once the seeds are settled, your cilantro doesn’t need as much water. So, ease up on the watering can.
3. Sometimes, cilantro attracts little pests like aphids and whiteflies. Use insecticidal soap to scare them away.
4. To avoid wilt and mildew, clean up old cilantro plants at the end of the season.
5. Cilantro moves through life pretty fast, especially in spring. If you’re in a warm place, that’s the best time for you to plant.
6. After planting, trim the tall ones after the seeds drop to make way for new plants from the fallen seeds.
7. Give cilantro its comfortable spot in the garden. Harvest, ignore for a bit, and then harvest again. It’s like a little cycle of deliciousness.
How to Harvest and Storage Cilantro
In the cooler months of spring and fall, and even through winter in areas without super cold weather, you can keep picking cilantro’s leafy parts.
Just chop the stems close to the ground, and most will be around 6 to 12 inches long. But don’t go overboard and avoid cutting more than a third of the leaves at once because it keeps the plant strong.
When you’re starting, give your cilantro a good home in Miracle-Gro Performance Organics soil. It’s like a nutritious treat for them.
But for the best results, start giving your cilantro regular meals with Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Edibles Plant Nutrition after about 4 or 5 harvests.
It keeps both the plants and the soil happy. And you can also feed them with fish emulsion.
Now, when it’s time to harvest seeds, snip the brown, round seed heads and toss them upside down in a paper bag.
In a few days, the husks will dry and split, revealing the edible seeds inside. But don’t wait too long because weak stems might decide to dry off if you delay the seed harvest.
The Different Types of Cilantro Plants
Cilantro comes in different types, and here are some beautiful ones:
1. Leisure
This one is popular because it tastes great, and it grows up pretty fast about 50 to 55 days.
2. Longstanding
These are the tall and patient ones. They take their time to grow, usually around 60 to 90 days.
3. Calypso
If you’re in no rush, this cilantro is for you. It’s super slow to grow, taking about 50 to 55 days to mature and a whopping 120 to 150 days to go to seed.
4. Santo
Often called the “standard” cilantro, it’s resistant to rushing into the seeding phase and matures in 50 to 55 days.
5. Cruiser
This one stands tall and strong. It has a neat look, with strong stems. It’s ready to grow in about 50 to 55 days.
So, whether you want speedy cilantro or a more patient one, there’s a variety for everyone.
How to Grow Cilantro from Seed and in Pots
Before you plant cilantro, give its seeds a little care. Just squeeze or rub them between your fingers to get rid of the outer covering.
You can also let them take a nice soak in water overnight because it’s like a spa day for the seeds, and it helps them sprout.
When it’s time to put them in the ground or a pot, be gentle. Cilantro doesn’t like its roots disturbed, so it’s best to sow the seeds directly where they’ll stay.
If you want to start them in little pots, choose ones that can go straight into the soil later because it’s like giving them a comfortable home that they won’t have to leave.
If your garden space is a bit limited, don’t worry because cilantro is cool with living in a pot. Get one that’s at least 8 inches wide and deep, and make sure it has holes at the bottom to let water out.
A clay pot is like cilantro’s perfect home because it lets extra water escape through its walls. In the end, growing cilantro is like cultivating a little green magic in your own space.
It’s a celebration of flavors and a connection to nature, making your kitchen not just a place to cook but a place to nurture life.
Growing cilantro is all about the right timing, sunshine, good soil, some water, and a bit of plant food.
So go ahead, embrace the joy of growing cilantro, and let its vibrant presence enrich your culinary adventures.
