How to grow cilantro – simple tips for sowing, caring, and harvesting

Cilantro is an annual member of the umbellifer family, and it’s easy to cultivate. You can use both its leaves and seeds, but they are harvested at different times.

Growing cilantro

Suitable growing conditions for cilantro

Cilantro thrives best in a sunny spot with slightly dry soil. The growing medium should be well-draining, nutrient-rich, and limed.

Sowing cilantro

If you want a steady supply of leaves, sow coriander seeds three times throughout the summer, as it quickly sends up a flower stalk.

Sow coriander seeds directly outdoors 1–2 centimeters (0.4–0.8 inches) deep in early spring once the soil has warmed. The sowing row should be about 5 centimeters wide (2 inches), and seeds should be spaced 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) apart. Lightly cover them with soil, gently pat down, and water.

Because coriander germinates slowly, it’s helpful to mark the seed row, for instance with sand.

Although coriander needs warmth, once the seedlings have started growing, they can tolerate surprisingly cold temperatures, even –10 degrees Celsius (14°F).

Caring for cilantro

Make sure to water cilantro enough so the seedbed remains moist.

Harvesting cilantro

At harvest time, the leaves look like parsley. They should be picked before the plant flowers so the taste doesn’t become bitter. If allowed to bloom, the upper leaves turn feathery, resembling dill.

Harvesting coriander seeds

Cilantro needs plenty of warmth to produce a good seed crop, while leaf production is less dependent on heat. Although it takes 110–130 days from sowing to seed harvest, the seeds typically mature in most parts of Finland during a normal summer.