When is cilantro ready

Cilantro leaves are used fresh in salads, salsa, and meat dishes, and can add a little zest to an omelet. The seeds, which are referred to as coriander, have a distinct flavor similar to orange and are used in pastries, sausage, and cooked fruit, and as an important ingredient in pickling spice and curry powder.

Coriander oil is purported to have a medicinal quality and reduce flatulence. Cilantro prefers a light, well-drained, moderately fertile loam or sandy soil, but it will tolerate many soils as long as nutrient levels and moisture are monitored. Cilantro is a cool-season crop that does best at temperatures between 50 and 85 degrees F. It can tolerate temperatures as low as 10 degrees F, but if temperatures exceed 85 degrees F it will start to bolt.

In Texas, the best time to plant cilantro is in February for an April harvest and again in September for a November harvest. Weekly plantings will ensure that you have a continuous crop. To establish cilantro from seeds, set the seeds in a soft, well-tilled, and composted soil in January or February for a spring crop or in September for a fall crop.

Cilantro does better in a little cooler temperatures. Spring and fall are usually the best times to grow cilantro plants and get the most out of them. Plant some cilantro, then a few weeks later while harvesting those plants, plant a few more cilantro seeds.

That way by the time the first plants go to seed, the second plants are ready to harvest, and so on. When cilantro goes to seed it grows a long stalk with whitish flowers. The bad news is, once those whitish flowers are there, that plant is about done giving you yummy, flavorful cilantro leaves. But…there is a silver lining to this cloud! Eventually, those whitish flowers will turn to seed!

If you let those seeds dry completely it makes the herb coriander yep, you get two different herbs from one plant-did you know that? If you live in an especially hot area, there are slow-bolt types of cilantro seeds available which may delay the plant going to seed a bit slow-bolt cilantro can handle a little higher temperatures.

When the leaves are flavorful and ready to pick for cooking, they turn more lacy looking, like this:. At this point, you should harvest the leaves at least once a week. To harvest just the cilantro leaves, you clip them off near the stem of the plant with gardening shears , then put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them to cook.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. To make the cilantro leaves stay fresh longer, you can refrigerate them in a sealed mason jar. How to Grow Basil. How to Grow Rosemary. How to Grow Sage. How to Grow Oregano. How to Grow Mint. Your email address will not be published. Post Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Please check settings. Just wanted to say you have a great site. Could you post a link to your recipe for compost tea.

I see some use manure and water and molasses. But I do not want to use molasses.