Quick Guide to Growing Cilantro

Plant cilantro during the cool days of spring or fall.

Grow cilantro in an area that receives full sun and has rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.2 to 6.8. Offer afternoon shade if you live in a warmer climate.

Improve native soil by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter. For growing in containers, consider a premium bagged potting mix.

Keep soil moist and use a soaker hose or drip irrigation if necessary.

Encourage prolific leaf production by regularly feeding with a water-soluble plant food.

Harvest cilantro leaves once they are large enough to eat. Avoid harvesting more than a third of the plant at any one time.

Soil, Planting, and Care

Start by choosing strong young Bonnie Plants® cilantro starter plants to give you an added measure of success in the garden. Bonnie cilantro is already well on its way to maturity and comes from a company with over a century of experience helping home gardeners grow their own food.

Grow cilantro in full sun, though it will also tolerate light shade in the South and Southwest where the sun is intense. In the South and Southwest, plant in the fall or early spring, about a month before the last frost. Fall is the ideal time to plant in zones 8, 9, and 10 because the plants will last through until the weather heats up in late spring. In the North, plant cilantro in late spring. When plants begin to bloom, the foliage will become scarce; for a steady harvest, set out plants every 3 to 4 weeks until the weather gets warm in spring, or until the first fall frost.

Plant cilantro in well-drained soil with a pH of 6.2 to 6.8. You can either conduct a soil test or simply improve your soil by mixing a few inches of aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil in with the top layer of your existing soil. If you plan to grow cilantro in a container, you’ll have more success if you fill the pot with premium potting mix, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix, which also contains lots of nutritious compost. Don’t use in-ground or garden soil in pots, as it’s too heavy.

Cilantro frequently self-sows. As seeds fall to the ground, little plants may pop up during the season and the following spring. One way to keep cilantro in check is to grow it indoors in a hydroponic (or water-based) system, like the Miracle-Gro® Twelve™ Indoor Growing System. Simple to use, it guides cilantro to produce an impressively large harvest. Plants go directly in the water, which circulates moisture, air, and nutrients to the roots, and a grow light provides all the light needed by the plants.