Growing Cilantro & How to Keep it Growing Year Round!
**Warm Summers:**Cilantro bolts (goes to seed) quickly in hot weather. Here’s where you get creative:
Succession Planting: Sow seeds every 2-3 weeks throughout the cooler months to have a continuous harvest.
Partial Shade: Provide afternoon shade for your cilantro plants, especially during the hottest parts of the day.
Container Gardening: Grow cilantro in pots that you can move to cooler areas during peak summer heat.
General Cilantro Growing Tips:
Sow Seeds Regularly: Don’t sow a large batch of seeds at once, as cilantro has a short lifespan for harvesting leaves.
Rich, Well-Drained Soil: Cilantro prefers loose, fertile soil that drains well. Amend your soil with compost if needed.
Watering: Water regularly, keeping the soil moist but not soggy. Cilantro suffers in drought conditions.
Harvesting: Harvest leaves regularly to encourage new growth. Pinch off outer leaves without taking the entire stem. You can also harvest entire stems if the plant gets leggy.
Bolting: Once cilantro bolts, the leaves become bitter and the plant focuses on seed production. You can harvest the coriander seeds (cilantro seeds) at this point, but you won’t get much more foliage.
Additional Tips:
Bolting Prevention: Some gardeners swear by regularly trimming cilantro to prevent bolting. However, this may not be foolproof in very hot climates.
Cilantro vs. Culantro: Cilantro and culantro are related but have distinct flavors. Culantro has a stronger, more pungent taste and can tolerate warmer temperatures better than cilantro. You might consider trying culantro as a summer alternative.
By following these tips and adapting them to your specific climate, you can enjoy fresh cilantro throughout most of the year.