Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Easy from Seed - Cilantro

Cilantro is a cool season annual herb with myriad uses. It can be added to pestos and chutneys,
combined with lime in rice and chicken dishes, slipped into grilled cheese sandwiches, green salads, or black bean soups. And it is easy to grow! Sow in a large pot or directly in the ground in spring or late summer. In mild-winter climates it can be grown throughout the winter.

When to start: Sow repeatedly starting in mid-spring, and again in late summer.

Where to plant: Plant in full sun or part shade, in fertile soil.

Planting depth: Cover seeds with ½ inch of soil.

Care: Provide consistent moisture.

Container growing: For a good harvest, start seeds in a large pot. You can use the same pot for a hot

weather plant, such as a pepper, eggplant, or annual flower, after the cilantro is harvested.

Harvesting: When the plant is a foot in height or taller, cut it down to about 2 inches. If the weather
remains cool it will send up new growth.

Hint: Cilantro flowers attract beneficial insects. The seed of the plant, called coriander, is also a tasty edible herb

2 comments:

Angela McRae said...

Yay--I am gathering info on things to plant when the weather turns cooler!

Steph said...

I Love Cilantro!