How to Grow Weeds From Seeds to Harvest

I've been growing cilantro plants for years, and I love to use this tasty herb in a lot of my cooking.

Learn how to grow and care for cilantro, plus how to harvest coriander seeds

Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is a wonderful herb originating from southern Europe, northern Africa, and southeast Asia. It is used frequently around the world for cooking, especially in Asian, Indian, Latin-American, and Russian cuisine.

The herb is particularly key to authentic Mexican food, where you'll find it in hot sauces, ceviches (a fresh salad of fish or shrimp with tomato, onion, and other herbs), and of course guacamole. In Russia, they use it to prepare sausages and other similar products. And in India, its seeds—a spice called coriander—is an important ingredient of curry and garam masala.

This guide will show you how to grow and care for this extremely useful and tasty herb, as well as provide directions for harvesting coriander seeds from your plant.

Why Bother With Cilantro?

When I started growing cilantro in my home country, I abandoned the effort after three or four "crops." It was just so inexpensive and common in Mexico that I would rather grow basil instead.

But then I moved to Spain and everything changed. I didn't know that this common plant that I had taken for granted was not that common here and very expensive (compared to Mexico's prices). And if you use this plant in your cooking, you cannot really substitute cilantro's fresh flavor with other plants like parsley (which are often mistaken for each other due to their similar appearances).

Cilantro is really easy to grow, however. It grows fast, doesn't require a lot of work, and is a good companion to tomatoes, peppers, and other herbs as well. So, if you like cilantro, growing it in your garden is definitely worth your time.

Cilantro is good companion plant to most herbs.

CC-BY Thomas Kriese @ Flickr

What Does Cilantro Look Like?

• The first set of leaves are long and plain, but the rest of the leaves are lobulated.
• They grow a long, straight stem with several branches and leaves. Their stems can reach 50–60 centimeters (19–23 inches) high.
• Before flowering, upper leaves will become longer, thinner, and feathery. The taste of the leaves bitters at this moment.
• Flowers are small, white or pale lilac, and grow in clusters.

When seeds appear after flowering, they are green, but they turn a beige-brown when dried.

CC-BY Candy Tale @ Flickr

How to Sow Cilantro Seeds

Cilantro's seeds are big, round, and covered with a rugged beige or light brown skin (when dried). When seeds are germinating, soil must be kept wet. So constant watering is a must—but don't overdo it!

These seeds germinate fast, from three days to a couple of weeks, depending on the environment. And since most seeds will likely germinate, don't sow too many. Otherwise, you might end having to remove several plants.

Here are some additional tips to help you effectively sow your cilantro seeds:

• If you use pots, you can plant seeds any time you like, unless you live in a place with harsh winters. If you are planting outside, the best time is during spring-summer. And if you live in a place with good weather, don't bother with seed trays—just plant them directly in their final spot.
• Cilantro is not a picky plant, but it is better to use fertile to sandy soil. It can still grow in poorer soil though, as long as it has good drainage.
• Its roots are 50–60 cm (19–23 in) deep. Each stem produces a lot of small branches and leaves, so choose a medium to large pot. If you do not care about the plant producing flowers and seeds, however, a small pot is enough to have a quick crop of tender leaves—and you can consume the tender leaves while the plant is growing.
• Sow seeds 1 cm (a little less than half an inch) into the soil, with a separation of 5–8 cm (2–3 in) between seeds. I like to set the seeds and then cover them with soil.
• The first set of leaves are long and plain, and sometimes they are stuck with the seed as a "hat." Don't worry, they will lose the seed "hat" in a few days. If you try to remove it, however, you could pull out the plant, because their roots are not too strong yet.
• It is an annual plant, but the leaves have a bitter taste once they are flowering. Therefore, if you plan to use it for cooking, you will have to plant seeds a few times per year to have good, usable plants all year long.
• Some growers suggest planting every two weeks to ensure you will have fresh cilantro all year long. I think this is too much space devoted to a single plant. For me, planting every three months works fine for my family of three.

Though this 5-liter water bottle might serve well for a while, a bigger pot would be better, because this plant grows long roots.

CC-BY Candy Tale @ Flickr

How to Care for Your Cilantro Plant

• Cilantro is not a water-loving plant. After the seeds germinate, you can reduce watering. This is especially important, because overwatering can kill your plant (it doesn't respond well to water-logging).
• It is better to provide plenty of sun, though it can also grow in partial shade. It prefers morning or late afternoon sun.
• It doesn't need too much fertilizing. Once its whole lifecycle is established, choose a high-potassium/low-nitrogen mix.
• Cilantro grows well in most soils, but the best would be sandy. The least desirable choices are soils with high clay content, because it won't drain well and cilantro does not thrive with too much water.
• It grows well with compatible plants such other herbs, as well as tomatoes and peppers. This enhances their flavor and helps keep them free of diseases.
• It is important to keep the area free from weeds, especially if planted directly in the garden. It is more difficult to keep everything clean and tidy when weeds have taken over.

Note the difference between the first set of plain leaves and the second lobulated set.

CC-BY Candy Tale @ Flickr

How to Cut and Keep Cilantro Seeds and Leaves

Cilantro tastes better when it is freshly cut. You can trim the outer, tender leaves from the exterior branches when needed without damaging the plant.

Read More From Dengarden

You can then dry the leaves. But the difference in taste is huge, and they do not freeze well either.

If you need to keep cilantro for later use, here's a suggestion:

1. Chop the leaves and immediately freeze them with some purified water as ice cubes.
2. When they have frozen, you can keep the ice-cilantro cubes in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.
3. Always use the same amount of cilantro, and remember how much you used per ice cube.

How to Harvest Cilantro Seeds

To get the seeds, you must cut the flower clusters in their stems when the seeds are reddish, and let them dry upside down or inside a paper bag.

Once stems have dried up, you can get the seeds. You can also keep them in a paper bag until you need them.

Note: If you grow cilantro in your garden, you can leave the plant to grow and produce seeds. If left alone, their own seeds will fall down, allowing you to harvest them easily. You can then remove the plants when they are no longer productive to create space for new ones.

Note how the upper leaves have changed completely on this cilantro plant.

CC-BY Candy Tale @ Flickr

Fun Facts About Cilantro

• Cilantro has an antibacterial effect to protect against salmonella. Additionally, its antioxidants slow down the decomposition process, and food cooked with cilantro last longer for this reason.
• It's a plant that attracts butterflies and other beneficial plague-eating insects (especially when flowering).
• Many people (but not all) find the smell of the plant offensive. I didn't smell a thing, but my husband was always complaining!
• Not all people are fond of cilantro's taste either. Some people feel it tastes soapy, and this is linked to genetics. For more info on this phenomenon, check out this informative Delishably article on The Real Reason Why Cilantro Tastes Like Soap.

Cilantro's leaves taste better when they are dark green and freshly picked.

CC-BY Q Family @ Flickr

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2013 Gabriela Hdez

Kiran on June 16, 2017:

Can you please help me with 2 things

1.can we grow cilantto with dry roasted cilantro seeds

2. Can you please help with curry leaf plant growth and maintenance. I have one small one but its turning yellow

MamaSmurf on October 02, 2016:

I freeze my cilantro in lime juice. This way it is ready to make Pico De Gallo. I find that mixing the lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and onion first helps meld the flavors faster.

Summaira on June 04, 2016:

Hey! I am from Pakistan. Thank you so much for this lovely article. I don't have much pots to grow too many herbs but your water bottle idea can make it possible for me. Thank you :)

carolynkaye from USA on August 08, 2015:

Congrats on HOTD. I love the taste of fresh cilantro, especially in salsa. Really enjoyed your Hub :)

Virginia Kearney from United States on August 08, 2015:

Good clear information about growing this plant. I don't cook with it often but found it was used fresh in a lot of dishes I had on a vacation to Costa Rica. I'm glad to know it would make a nice container plant.

Bill De Giulio from Massachusetts on August 08, 2015:

Great information. Have never tried to grow cilantro but will try next year. Congratulations on the HOTD.

Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on August 08, 2015:

Gabriella, congrats on HOTD! This is a great info on how to grow cilantro in your own garden. Very useful with lot of facts. Voted up!

Milady González on July 23, 2015:

Hey there Gabriela,

I love cilantro. Have you tried it in your scrambled eggs? We also grow it in our garden and use it in many of our dishes. We don't use pots but that is a great idea.

Thank you

Gabriela Hdez (author) from Valencia, Spain on July 30, 2014:

Thank you Patsybell, I'm glad you found it useful and enjoyed it!

Patsy Bell Hobson from zone 6a, Southeast Missouri, USA on July 24, 2014:

Great information. Garden writers always enjoy reading other garden writing. I like your style. Voted up, U,I, Pin, tweet.

Gabriela Hdez (author) from Valencia, Spain on December 02, 2013:

I am very happy to hear you enjoyed it!

I've frozen cilantro in ice cubes and it has done the trick for sauces and stews. You can't use it for salads though.

PS: Your comment gave me a craving for Thai food.

Regards,

Gabriela

Andy Aitch from UK & South East Asian Region on December 02, 2013:

I can see this hub was written with passion Gabriela ;) I live in Thailand and as I' m sure you know, coriander is an essential ingredient in many Thai dishes. I couldn't stand it to begin with, now I can't get enough of the herb, in fact I can almost smell it as I read through your article. I was just looking to see if you can freeze Cilantro which is how I came across your article. I did read somewhere else that it is best frozen in ice cubes, as that method preserves the aromatic components. We'll see!

Anyway, lovely hub, nicely laid-out too, kind of like a glossy magazine, which makes it even more enjoyable to read.

Andy Aitch

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on November 30, 2013:

Coriander is one of my favorite spices and had planted this summer and as you said won't survive the harsh witners well advised and shared.

Gabriela Hdez (author) from Valencia, Spain on October 20, 2013:

That is great new first-hand information for me. I've never imagined it could go for so long as 10 years!

Thanks for the comment

RTalloni on October 19, 2013:

This is full of info on cilantro--thanks! Our stand of cilantro has stood the test of time, maintaining itself for over 10 years now. Some mild winters have done it good, and allowing it to reseed itself works wonders as well. It really is a wonderful herb to home grow!

Gabriela Hdez (author) from Valencia, Spain on October 14, 2013:

Hello CatchaDream!

Cilantro does enhance homemade salsa, but I've never thought of adding it to salads. I will try that next time!

Thanks for the comment!

catchadream from Lakeland, Florida on October 13, 2013:

Cilantro is a staple in my herb garden, I use it for my homemade salsa and fresh salads.

Gabriela Hdez (author) from Valencia, Spain on October 08, 2013:

You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the comment BillyBuc!

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on October 08, 2013:

Thanks for the information. We have quite a few herbs in our garden but cilantro is not one of them. I will correct that next spring.

How to Grow Weeds From Seeds to Harvest

Source: https://dengarden.com/gardening/Growing-Cilantro-AKA-Coriander-Good-for-your-garden-and-great-herb-for-cooking

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