Garden calendar for the kitchen garden - vegetables and herbs. See what to plant right now and for next month.

Growing Coriander, also Cilantro , chinese parsley

(coriander sativum)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			P	P			P	P

(Best months for planting Coriander in Australia - sub-tropical regions)

P = Plant direct in garden where they are to grow.

Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C. (Show °F/in)
Space plants: Thin to 45 cm
Harvest in 30-45 days.
Compatible with: Dill, Chervil, Anise, Cabbages, Carrots
Avoid growing with: Fennel

Coriander flowers

Broadcast sow and thin to 45 cm apart. Grows to about 60cm. Harvest 30 -45 days A half-hardy herb with feathery leaves. . Grows more reliably from seeds as coriander is liable to bolt to flower and seed when seedlings are transplanted.

Coriander is frost tender but it doesn't like extreme heat. So in temperate zones grow coriander during summer, in sub-tropical/tropical zones grow it during the cooler season.

Needs a sunny spot and mulch to prevent drying out. Keep very well watered. If they dry out, then they will bolt to seed. Plant in successions (planting new seed every few weeks) to get a continuous supply.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Coriander

Use the leaves to flavour hot meals or add fresh to salads.
The seeds can be dried and ground up for curries.

Your comments and tips

29 Jan 12, rex (Australia - cool/mountain climate): I find, if you can get the seed to germinate in april/may it will supply your needs throuout amild wintre, down to -4degC.
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24 Dec 11, chris (Australia - temperate climate): I live in Adelaide and find the plants virtually turn to see before I get any sort of harvest
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17 Oct 11, Barbara Scott (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Can you still make the coriander unto good pesto after it has "bolted?"
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08 Oct 11, Diana (Australia - cool/mountain climate): My nursery person said coriander doesn't like full sun in summer - grow it in shade. Doesn't mind the cold, even here in New england.
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08 Oct 11, Robyn (Australia - temperate climate): I live in Sydney. I have planted coriander before and it goes to seed really quickly, before I have had time to harvest even. How do I stop it from going to seed. I have just planted some in a pot. Thanks. Robyn
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19 Oct 11, Kathy (Australia - temperate climate): Another question is: are you planting proper leaf coriander, or the whole seeds from the supermarket? If you plant coriander seeds from the supermarket, it's bred to bolt to seed so they can harvest quicker. (I love coriander seed, so I just plant a bunch of supermarket stuff, generally get a few leaves, but mostly harvest the seed)
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08 Oct 11, Tracey in Melbourne (Australia - temperate climate): Are you planting in spring? Increasing day length and temps trigger flowering. I find coriander grows fantastically well if sown in late summer/autumn and grown through the winter. I can keep picking from the same plants for many, many months. The current lot are just starting to flower now. You should be able to do the same in Sydney w/o any trouble. If you are desperate to have it in summer all I can suggest is growing it in a cool shady spot and pick a variety listed as 'bolt-resistant'. But it will still probably go to seed quickly. And be aware that some varieties are intended to be grown for the seeds, not the leaves - definitely avoid those! Good luck : )
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08 Oct 11, Trudy (Australia - cool/mountain climate): I am growing coridander with my florence fennel without any problems. tastes fantastic and the fennel fronds has stopped it going to seed too early by shading it. The fennel bulbs are looking healthy and the first fennel bulb harvested tasted fine... almost ate it in the garden. Anyone know why they say not to grow together? perhaps it is not to be grown with the herb fennel?
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30 Sep 11, Jason (Australia - temperate climate): I agree with the above comments about growing Coriander in winter. I live in NE Victoria where we get heavy frosts every winter. I planted some seedlings into the vege garden in May and we have had the best Coriander plants throughout winter. They are almost finished now that the weather is warming up. I've never had any luck growing Coriander in summer.
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04 Jun 11, jade (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have found if left unnattended my coriander will pop up on it's own wherever it likes in the right weather - I have a big garden and like coriander so this is ok. Are there any plants I should be concerned with - does everything grow well with coriander?
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See planting calendar for these countries and climate zones

Australia - arid, Australia - cool/mountain, Australia - sub-tropical, Australia - temperate, Australia - tropical, New Zealand - cool/mountain, New Zealand - sub-tropical, New Zealand - temperate, South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical, South Africa - Humid sub-tropical, South Africa - Semi-arid, South Africa - Summer rainfall, United Kingdom - cool/temperate, United Kingdom - warm/temperate, USA - Central West Coast, USA - Maritime Northwest, USA - Mid-Atlantic, USA - North East, USA - South East and Gulf States, USA - South West, USA - Upper Midwest

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.

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