Growing Cilantro

It's best to sow cilantro seeds directly into the garden in May or after the danger of frost has passed. You can also replant in early fall. Just remember that cilantro is a cool weather plant and prefers soil temperatures between 55F and 68F. Summer planting can produce poor germination rates and plants will bolt when air temperatures routinely exceed 75F. If you are starting them indoors keep in a cool part of the house, and out of direct sunlight, until they sprout. Then you can move them to a sunny location.

Some people like to soak the seeds for 24 hours prior to planting to increase germination, though we have found this to be unnecessary.

Cilantro does not require much in the way of nutrients. We usually mix a bit of compost/manure into the soil- no fertilizer normally is needed. Once your bed is prepared, make a 1/4" depression into the soil and plant your cilantro seeds 1" apart. After your seeds are planted, cover them with a layer of fine soil, gently pat your soil, and you're ready to water!

With most plants, we like to use soaker hoses as they will not wash your tiny seeds away (cilantro is a particularly buoyant seed), though a watering wand on the lightest setting works as well. Regardless, give them a good soaking and you should be well on your way to growing cilantro!