How to Harvest Cilantro
So you've decided to grow your own herbs? Awesome!! But how do you know when to pick them or how to pick them without killing the plant? We are going to go through a series of herbs this summer so that you too can grow your own and have a tasty, healthy, and successful garden season.
Cilantro is a great herb to try your hand at if you're just starting out as it is very fast-growing and fairly tough. It does grow better in spring and fall with the cooler weather, but is not frost resistant. It can be a bit confusing though as the seeds are actually called coriander, while the leaves are called cilantro.
Cilantro is a great source of potassium, aids in digestion, and is a low calorie way to add flavor to your dishes. It is often used in salsas and Mexican dishes, but has plenty of options. Coriander meanwhile is often used in curries, middle eastern dishes, pickles, and with poultry. Check out links to our recipes at the bottom of the post!
Growing cilantro is fairly easy. You can plant either in the ground or in a container, but be aware that if you let cilantro go to seed it can spread rapidly through your garden. We have both a container and a small patch of cilantro growing at our house. The main difference is that the plants tend to get bigger if planted in the ground vs in a container. A few benefits of container growing are that you can move your planter to prime sun spots throughout the year, contain the growth, and even continue growing cilantro through the winter months. Due to the strong scent given off by the leaves, cilantro can act as an insect repellant. Capitalize on this by places planters or spacing cilantro throughout your garden/yard.
Cilantro is a full sun plant. This means 8-10 hours of sunlight a day. It will still grow with much less sun, however, your plant growth will be stunted and you may need to wait quite a bit longer to harvest your cilantro. Knowing the full sun requirement, choose between ground or container planting. You will want to plant seeds ~12-18 inches apart after the last frost of the year or in the fall if you live in a southern climate. Water regularly, but ensure well drained soils to prevent leaf spotting.
Cilantro will bolt rather quickly in the heat of summer, but by harvesting the seeds you can plant a second crop for the fall. For a nearly continuous harvest, being new cilantro plants every 2-3 weeks. Leaves can still be harvested once the plant is bolted, but they will be much more bitter, and there will be fewer leaves. To slow bolting, harvest when leaves are low (6-12 inches in height).
You can pick off the individual leaves or cut the side stalks. There tends to be one main stalk with smaller ones splitting off. Cut these off at their bases with a sharp scissors. When trimming, be sure to leave ~1/3 plant to promote future growth. If flower buds appear, trim immediately to prevent seed production.
Once you've picked your cilantro, either use immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 days or dry. A few methods of drying cilantro can be used. Keep in mind that drying will significantly reduce flavor.
Store in airtight container.
To harvest coriander seeds (the seeds that form on your cilantro), there are a few options:
For great recipe ideas view Thrifty Cooking posts and check out our recipe for Cilantro Garlic Chicken.
Cilantro is a great source of potassium, aids in digestion, and is a low calorie way to add flavor to your dishes. It is often used in salsas and Mexican dishes, but has plenty of options. Coriander meanwhile is often used in curries, middle eastern dishes, pickles, and with poultry. Check out links to our recipes at the bottom of the post!
Growing cilantro is fairly easy. You can plant either in the ground or in a container, but be aware that if you let cilantro go to seed it can spread rapidly through your garden. We have both a container and a small patch of cilantro growing at our house. The main difference is that the plants tend to get bigger if planted in the ground vs in a container. A few benefits of container growing are that you can move your planter to prime sun spots throughout the year, contain the growth, and even continue growing cilantro through the winter months. Due to the strong scent given off by the leaves, cilantro can act as an insect repellant. Capitalize on this by places planters or spacing cilantro throughout your garden/yard.
Cilantro is a full sun plant. This means 8-10 hours of sunlight a day. It will still grow with much less sun, however, your plant growth will be stunted and you may need to wait quite a bit longer to harvest your cilantro. Knowing the full sun requirement, choose between ground or container planting. You will want to plant seeds ~12-18 inches apart after the last frost of the year or in the fall if you live in a southern climate. Water regularly, but ensure well drained soils to prevent leaf spotting.
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| Coriander Seeds in a Planter |
Cilantro will bolt rather quickly in the heat of summer, but by harvesting the seeds you can plant a second crop for the fall. For a nearly continuous harvest, being new cilantro plants every 2-3 weeks. Leaves can still be harvested once the plant is bolted, but they will be much more bitter, and there will be fewer leaves. To slow bolting, harvest when leaves are low (6-12 inches in height).
You can pick off the individual leaves or cut the side stalks. There tends to be one main stalk with smaller ones splitting off. Cut these off at their bases with a sharp scissors. When trimming, be sure to leave ~1/3 plant to promote future growth. If flower buds appear, trim immediately to prevent seed production.
Once you've picked your cilantro, either use immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 days or dry. A few methods of drying cilantro can be used. Keep in mind that drying will significantly reduce flavor.
- Dehydrator - follow manufacturer instructions
- Baking at 350 until crisp
- Hang Dry - Hang cilantro stalks upside down until dry
- Lay flat on cookie cooling rack, turning periodically until crisp.
- See end of video below for tips on drying.
Store in airtight container.
To harvest coriander seeds (the seeds that form on your cilantro), there are a few options:
- Pull or cut the entire plant. Hang dry upside down in brown paper bag. Seeds should drop on their own.
- Hand pick the seeds. Lay out to dry.
- Trim pods of seeds off the plant.
For great recipe ideas view Thrifty Cooking posts and check out our recipe for Cilantro Garlic Chicken.
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