How to Grow Cilantro from Seed

Grow Cilantro During Cooler Weather

Cilantro is best treated as a cool-season herb. Utah State University Extension recommends early spring planting in cooler areas and fall planting in warmer areas so plants can develop during more favorable temperatures.

Penn State Extension similarly describes cilantro as a crop that thrives during cooler spring and fall conditions and notes that hot temperatures encourage flowering and seed production.

Choose a Sunny Site With Well-Drained Soil

Utah State University Extension recommends a sunny location and fertile, well-drained soil for cilantro. It reports that the crop can grow in a range of soil types when drainage is adequate.

Penn State Extension likewise recommends full sun and well-drained soil and gives a soil pH around 6.5 as useful general guidance.

Good drainage is important because regular watering during establishment does not mean the root zone should remain saturated. Containers should also have functional drainage.

Direct Sow Cilantro When Practical

Direct sowing is a practical way to establish cilantro, especially when the crop will be planted repeatedly for fresh leaves.

Penn State Extension recommends direct sowing cilantro rather than relying on transplanting. Utah State Extension notes that cilantro can be started indoors, but recommends minimizing root disturbance when seedlings are transplanted.

Direct sowing also works naturally with succession planting: a gardener can establish another short row or small planting as earlier plants approach flowering.

Sow Cilantro Seed About 1/4 to 1/2 Inch Deep

Utah State University Extension recommends planting cilantro seed approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Its home-garden guidance specifically uses about 1/2 inch in the planting and spacing recommendations.

Prepare a loose seedbed, cover the seed at the appropriate depth, and maintain adequate moisture while germination and establishment take place.

Cilantro may take time to emerge. Utah State reports germination at about three weeks under the conditions described in its guide.

Match Cilantro Spacing to What You Want to Harvest

Spacing can change depending on whether the crop is being managed primarily for fresh foliage or allowed to mature for coriander seed.

Utah State University Extension recommends approximately two inches between plants when cilantro leaves are the goal. When plants will remain through flowering and seed production, it recommends approximately eight to ten inches between plants.

Its home-garden guidance places rows at least 15 inches apart. These measurements are a useful research-based starting point rather than a requirement for every possible garden layout.

Water Regularly While Cilantro Establishes

Utah State University Extension recommends regular watering while cilantro is becoming established. Once established, cilantro should not be kept excessively wet.

Monitor the soil rather than watering solely by a fixed calendar. Rainfall, temperature, soil texture, container size, and drainage all affect how quickly the root zone dries.

The objective is adequate moisture without creating persistently damp, poorly aerated soil.

Use Succession Planting for a Longer Cilantro Harvest

Cilantro does not remain indefinitely in its leafy stage. As plants mature and conditions warm, they eventually shift toward flowering and seed production.

Penn State Extension recommends sowing cilantro every two to four weeks for a continued supply. Utah State Extension also recommends successive plantings while seasonal conditions remain appropriate.

Understand Cilantro Bolting

Bolting is the normal transition from vegetative growth into flowering and seed production. For gardeners growing cilantro primarily for leaves, this transition marks the beginning of the end of the preferred leafy stage.

Penn State Extension notes that cilantro quickly flowers and sets seed as conditions become hot. Planting during cooler periods and using repeated sowings are therefore more useful strategies than expecting one mature plant to remain leafy throughout hot weather.

Some cultivars have also been selected for slower bolting. Cultivar choice can complement good seasonal timing, but it does not eliminate cilantro's normal progression toward flowering.

Harvest Cilantro Leaves Before Plants Mature to Seed

Utah State University Extension recommends harvesting cilantro leaves at approximately six inches long. Penn State Extension similarly notes that harvesting can begin once plants reach about six inches in height.

Penn State recommends removing only a portion of the plant at a time when continued growth is desired. Harvest clean foliage as needed while younger succession plantings develop to replace older plants.

Let Cilantro Mature When You Want Coriander Seed

Cilantro and coriander are harvested from the same species, Coriandrum sativum. The fresh foliage is commonly called cilantro, while the mature dry seed is commonly called coriander.

When coriander seed is the goal, allow selected plants to flower and form seed instead of removing their flowering stems.

Utah State University Extension recommends allowing the plants to mature until they begin turning brown, then cutting the seed heads and allowing them to finish drying in a bag so the mature seeds can be collected.