Growing cilantro (coriander)

Spring cilantro

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Cilantro is a tasty herb that loves the cool temps and bolts when the summer heat hits.  My favorite way to use it is in salsa.  It brightens up salads, seafood, chicken and lamb dishes.

Cilantro prefers the cool temperatures of spring and fall.  The regular cilantro bolts when the heat starts in.  It has pretty little white flowers.  When it sets seed, the seeds are called coriander.  You can use the greens and then harvest the seeds.  

You can also buy Slo Bolt Cilantro seed that is slower to bolt when summer kicks in.

Pick a cooler spot in the garden to put your cilantro to keep it as cool as long as possible.  It grows well in  a pot on a covered deck or patio, too.

The cilantro care is the same as other greens.  Greens like nitrogen and moist soil.

When my cilantro bolts, I switch to tarragon for salads, salsa, seafood, chicken and lamb dishes.  Tarragon thrives in the heat of summer and also has a fresh flavor.