![]() Storing cilantro seeds is worth it - they store well. Label it and store the bag in a cool spot away from sunlight. Don't use plastic because it retains moisture. Saving seeds for next year's crop? Allow the seeds to dry in a paper bag. If it's still flexible, it's not dry yet. To check if they're "done", try to bend one of the seeds in half. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and set them in the oven until they are completely dry. Set the oven at the lowest temperature possible. Want a fast way to dry seeds for cooking? Dry them in your oven. And if you wait too long, the plant will drop all the seeds onto the soil. If seeds are picked too early, they may be bitter. ![]() You want to catch them at the right time.Clip off the seed heads just when they start to turn brown. If you want to use the seeds for cooking, allow the flowers to bloom and fade on the plant. You can plant newly produced seeds immediately to keep growing cilantro for a continuous harvest. Once this herb sets seeds, it will stop producing leaves. ![]() High temperatures will rush the plant into flowering, followed by seeds. Keep it cool. If you live where the summers are very hot, keep it shaded during the hottest part of the day. Give this culinary herb a sunny spot on a windowsill - or shift it to a porch or patio for the warm months. Shed some light. For the best flavor and lush, leafy foliage, growing cilantro needs plenty of sun. Use a pot with a drainage hole and well-drained potting mix to prevent overwatering, which can cause root rot. It has long taproots and hates to be repotted. Give it space. Plant cilantro seeds in a container at least 8 in (20 cm) deep. Calypso and Santo are two slow-to-bolt varieties. These varieties will give you a longer cilantro growing season. When buying cilantro seed online or in catalogs, look for the words non-bolting or slow to bolt. ![]() Most seed companies offer varieties that are slower to flower and set seed, or bolt. Store in a screw-top jar.Growing cilantro from seed works best because this herb doesn't like to be repotted. Remove chaff and allow seeds to dry further on a paper bag or towel. Thwack the seed heads inside a bucket, or pull them off. Allow seed heads to dry out further in a protected place with good ventilation and low humidity. Harvest umbel by umbel, or take the entire flower stalk as all attached seeds are dry. Allow the spent cilantro flowers to ripen into plump green seeds, and then dry on the plant until the seeds have dried and turned brown. Seed keeping notesĭifferent varieties of cilantro generally cross pollinate fairly easily within 1/2 mile of other flowering cilantro - consider isolating, caging, or bagging to prevent unwanted cross pollination between different varieties. Direct sow 1/4" deep in the garden after last frost. Indoors, sow seeds 1/4" deep in moist potting soil 6-8 weeks before last frost. Germination rate: 80% on Planting / harvesting notes We love the taste, the smell, the looks, and the histories.įirst photo of cilantro leaves by Thamizhpparithi Maari (Creative Commons - cropped square). At times, thought to enhance sexual potency in men named after a bedbug that shares a similar smell highly divisive at potlucks since some people are genetically disposed to think it tastes like batteries, soap, and band aids - it is powerful and controversial. Coriander or Cilantro is thought to have originated in Southern Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, around the Mediterranean. It has been found 8,000 years old in a cave in Israel, scattered in King Tut's tomb, referenced in the Old Testament and in ancient Sanskrit texts, and delicious in our curried butternut squash and bok choy soup last night, and in the salsa on our chilaquiles last week.
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