Tips for Growing Cilantro

Cilantro is the same as the culinary herb coriander, except that it is known by different names. The harvested leaves are referred to as cilantro, while the seeds are called coriander. Chopped cilantro and ground coriander are used for flavoring almost all types of cuisines, ranging from soups, salads, stews, marinades and so on. The importance of cilantro as a culinary herb is also popularized by using it as an ingredient in salsa. The cilantro flavor goes very well with onions, garlic, ginger and other common herbs.

Despite the popular usage of cilantro, it is not commonly planted in the garden. This may be because most hobbyists mistake it to be a high maintenance herb. Growing cilantro at home is not so difficult, except that the herb requires a few weeks for germination. With basic gardening skills, you can successfully plant cilantro in the vegetable garden.

Cilantro Growing Tips

Wondering how to grow cilantro at home? Well! Growing cilantro is more or less similar to other culinary herbs that are planted by sowing seeds. Based on the criterion whether you are growing cilantro indoors or outdoors, the requirements for this herb vary. Refer to the following tips for growing cilantro, for the healthy maintenance of this herb.

Soil Requirements
Cilantro is best grown in moderately cool and sunny areas, wherein the temperature is below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. So, select the plantation site that receives early morning or late afternoon sunlight. In case you are growing cilantro indoors, you may need to transplant them for better growth. Another option for indoor plantation is growing cilantro in a pot and placing it near the window. Prepare the garden soil or potting soil by supplementing it with sand and organic fertilizers.

Prepare Seeds
Cilantro is propagated by sowing seeds, and not by cuttings. A single coriander seed actually comprises two seeds enclosed in a tough husk. For growing cilantro from seed, first you need to prepare the seeds in order to ensure quick germination. Take coriander and crush them gently (to release the inside seeds), wrap the crushed seeds with a cloth and soak in water for about 24-48 hours. Remove the seeds from water and dry it for 1-2 hours.

Sow Seeds
After you are done with the soil and seed preparation, the next step is sowing the seeds. After frosting is over, you can sow cilantro seeds at a ½ an inch depth. Unless, you are growing cilantro indoors, do not transplant them as the fragile root system may get damaged during transplantation. Water the soil deeply immediately after seed sowing. If the temperature range falls between 50-85 degrees Fahrenheit, the seeds hardly take 10 days to germinate.

Aftercare Tips
Deep watering is necessary to promote germination. When the cilantro plants emerge, trim them so that the space between two plants is 3-4 inch. While growing indoors or in pots, watering should be done to such as extent that excess water drains off from the drainage hole. Water the cilantro plants whenever you feel that the top soil is drying. In the growing season, supplement the soil with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer, after every two weeks.

Harvesting
For harvesting cilantro, pinch leaves from the lower side, preferably in the morning time (to retain freshness). Do not wash cilantro leaves for storing them in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the flavor of the leaves may get lost. Rather, you can rinse them at the time of flavoring your dishes. In case you want to harvest seeds, do not pinch too many leaves and allow the plants to flower and develop seeds. Uproot the plants when the seeds mature. Store the cilantro plants in a well-ventilated area, until the seeds turn brown in color.

For nearly all types of culinary herbs, flavoring freshly harvested leaves always adds a unique taste to the dish. The same holds true for cilantro leaves. Once you harvest and use cilantro from your garden, I am sure you will prefer growing cilantro in your herb garden throughout the year round, rather than buying them from the vegetable market.