CILANTRO / CORIANDER / CHINESE PARSLEY Herb - How To Grow From Seed

 CILANTRO/CORIANDER/CHINESE PARSLEY 

Coriander is a finicky herb, prone to bolting in the heat and short lived in hot regions, however you can combat some of that by planting in pots and bringing indoors or covering outside with a shade cloth on hot days.  

To start seeds yourself, use a good base for the soil, I recommend coco mulch to start the seeds, it holds moisture well and can be popped into the ground or into a bigger pot easily.  Don't use that as it's permanent home because it doesn't have enough nutrients, just to start, and you can mix a bit of compost with if you prefer.  The seeds need to be sown no deeper than 1/4 inch, and in the coco mulch I don't sow them that deep, slightly less.  When they appear and reach around 2-1/4 inches tall repot them into a larger container with good potting/compost soil and give them a drink of my homebrewed tea (search for tea on this blog) as I have moved things around.  I suggest only doing 3-4 seeds at one time and then a week later do more, etc.  Succession planting is best because of the bolting issues, and sometimes insects such as aphids, white flies, etc. attack a plant.   Bolting occurs when temperatures go from one extreme to the next, or just several days of heat will cause it bolt.  

You can plant directly in the ground after the plants have been transplanted to the new pots for a couple of weeks or you can move to a larger container with good compost/soil mix.   If it bolts, you can let it go to seed and hopefully new plants will come up from the seed, or you can try cutting it back to about 4" high and see if it will restart.  Either way with succession planting you have some to replace it with.  Don't overwater  just water when it's surface down to the knuckle on your finger is dry.  

My observation, and others may disagree, but I have found that coriander is not bitter when it is started in the greenhouse and kept inside under a shadow cover.  I have successfully grown in outside and still do, but sometimes it turns bitter.  Make sure you pick the leaves often, if you can't use them, put them on a piece of cake paper in the oven preheated and turned off, just line them side by side on the paper and they will dry quickly, then you can either grind in a bullet blender or just scrunch them up with your hands.  Put them in a glass jar or ziplock bag for later use.  

I've read several articles about the health benefits of Coriander, and when eaten raw it is suppose to help with ringing in the ears, upset stomach and fatigue.  You can also make a tea from the leaves and drink it if you prefer. 

 (Disclaimer:  I am not a Doctor, I only research what Doctor's online write, so please do your own research to be sure that any herb used outside of normal culinary means is safe for you, and with the medication you use).