Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is used in a great many different dishes, particularly Mexican and Asian dishes, but despite the growing popularity for this dish in cooking, you don’t see cilantro growing in the home garden as much as you do other popular herbs. This may be due to the fact that many people think that growing cilantro is difficult. This is not the case at all. If you follow these few tips for growing cilantro, you will find that you will be successfully growing cilantro in no time at all.
Cilantro Seeds In cooking, cilantro seeds are called coriander. The “seeds” are actually two cilantro seeds encased in a husk. The husk is hard, round and is light brown or grey in color. Before you plant them in the ground, you need to prepare the cilantro seeds to increase the chances that they will germinate. Gently crush the seed husk holding the two seeds together. Soak the cilantro seeds in water for 24 to 48 hours. Remove from the water and allow to dry.
Once you have prepared the cilantro seeds, you need to plant the seeds. You can either start cilantro indoors or outdoors. If you’re starting the seeds indoors, you’ll be transplanting cilantro to the outdoors later on. Put the seeds in the soil and then cover them with about a 1/4-inch (6mm.) layer of soil. Leave the cilantro growing until it is at least 2 inches (5 cm.) tall. At this time, thin the cilantro to be about 3 to 4 inches (7.6-10 cm.) apart. You want to grow cilantro in crowded conditions because the leaves will shade the roots and help to keep the plant from bolting in hot weather. If you’re transplanting cilantro into your garden, dig holes 3 to 4 inches (7.6-10 cm.) apart and place the plants in them. Water thoroughly after transplanting.
Cilantro does have a tendency to bolt rather quickly, so we recommend planting every 2 weeks during the growing season to ensure a steady supply.