Fresh cilantro plants with bright green lobed leaves in nursery pots.
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr · CC BY 2.0. Cropped for display.
Plant Care Steps · Growing guideplantcaresteps.com/plants/cilantro/

Herbs · A cool, bright patio or balcony

Let’s grow
cilantro.

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Coriandrum sativum

This plan is for Slow-bolting leaf cilantro

Light: Morning sun is useful when afternoons begin to get hot.

Planting steps ↓

YOUR SIMPLE GROWING PLAN

One pot. Here’s the plan.

Before you start Start during a cool growing spell; spring or fall usually suits this plan, while warm regions may grow cilantro in winter.

What you need · pot, mix & supplies
  • One 12-inch square planter, at least 10 inches deep
  • 8 cilantro seeds from a slow-bolting variety, such as Leisure
  • Fresh potting mix, a watering can, and scissors

The soil

Miracle-Gro Organic Potting Mix (US, feeds for up to 2 months)

A cool, bright patio or balcony. Start with seeds.

THE POT12 × 12 × 10 in.

One draining square planter with room for roots.

HOW MANY8 seeds → 4 plants

Two seeds at four spots, 6 inches apart; this is a leaf-harvest plan.

See the planting illustration
Illustrated starting setup: 12 × 12 × 10 in.; 8 seeds → 4 plants.
12 × 12 × 10 in. · 8 seeds → 4 plants One draining square planter with room for roots. Two seeds at four spots, 6 inches apart; this is a leaf-harvest plan. Original illustration; not to scale.
  1. 01

    Sow in the final pot

    Dampen the mix. Mark four spots in a 2 × 2 grid, 6 inches apart.

  2. 02

    Cover four pairs of seeds

    Place 2 seeds at each spot and cover with ½ inch of mix. Water gently.

  3. 03

    Keep the strongest at each spot

    Keep the surface moist during sprouting. Once seedlings are established, snip extras to leave four plants. A round coriander seed unit can produce more than one seedling.

  4. 04

    Snip a few outer stems

    Wait until plants have plenty of growth, around 6 inches tall. Take a small amount and keep the center and healthy leaves intact.

Other ways to start
Use small nursery starts+

Choose 4 young plants, keep each root ball intact, and set them at their existing soil level in the four positions. A large plant already sending up a flower stalk is a poor shortcut to a long leaf harvest.

YOUR EVERYDAY ROUTINE

Water & fertilizer at a glance.

Water when
Keep the seed surface damp. Once established, water as the top inch starts drying; let excess drain. Empty the saucer or outer pot after draining.
Fertilizer
Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food (US 24-8-16)
Amount
1½ teaspoons in 1 US gallon of water
What that amount covers
Mix into water. Apply only enough solution to wet this pot and drain; the mixing batch is not the amount to pour on.
How often to feed
Every 4 weeks outdoors.
When to start or pause
No extra feed at sowing. Feed only if usable leaves are still growing after starter feed ends; do not feed to reverse bolting.

Half the product’s outdoor concentration; use this lighter herb recipe after starter feed ends.

Product directions ↗

Use level measures and the exact US formula shown. If your label differs, follow it; do not transfer this dose to another formula or combine feeding programs.

See the watering & feeding illustrations
A soil check followed by slow root watering and free drainage.
Check before watering. Keep the seed surface damp. Once established, water as the top inch starts drying; let excess drain. Original illustration; not to scale.
Fertilizer measure for Cilantro: 1½ teaspoons in 1 US gallon of water. Mix into water. Apply only enough solution to wet this pot and drain; the mixing batch is not the amount to pour on.
1½ teaspoons in 1 US gallon of water Mix into water. Apply only enough solution to wet this pot and drain; the mixing batch is not the amount to pour on. Every 4 weeks outdoors. No extra feed at sowing. Feed only if usable leaves are still growing after starter feed ends; do not feed to reverse bolting. Original illustration; not to scale.
Illustrated reference for Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose, US 24-8-16; not actual packaging.

US PRODUCT REFERENCE

Miracle-Gro

Water Soluble All Purpose

24-8-16

Soluble: mix into water

Check the official US product ↗

Illustrated reference; check the manufacturer’s current packaging and US label.

Sprouting and the leaf-growing season
03 / WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Germination can take about 3 weeks, so keep the pot labeled and the surface moist. A slow-bolting variety still eventually flowers; it is not a permanent supply of leaves.

Choose a cool growing window

Choose cool spring or fall conditions. In warm climates, the useful growing season may be winter. Heat and lengthening days can shorten the leaf-harvest period.

For regional planting windows, find your local Cooperative Extension office ↗.

Something looking off?

Are cilantro and coriander different plants?+

They are the same plant. In US cooking, cilantro usually means the leafy herb and coriander means the mature seeds.

Why are new leaves thin and feathery?+

The plant may be moving toward flowering. Harvest useful leaves and plan another sowing; cutting off one flower stalk will not make it young again.

Can I keep harvesting all summer?+

Hot weather often cuts the leaf season short. Try another small sowing when conditions are cool enough instead of promising one plant will last indefinitely.

Spacing plants and sowing the next batch
Space plants for a first leaf harvest

Four widely marked positions keep this first sowing easy to manage. The recipe is not a dense commercial herb crop or a dedicated coriander-seed production plan.

Stagger sowings for fresher leaves

Write the sowing date on the pot label. Once you know how cilantro behaves in your spot, stagger another pot to reduce the gap between leaf harvests.

Sources, dates & detailed PDF

Editorial plans, not results from a Plant Care Steps growing trial. Compiled with AI assistance; they have not yet had an independent horticultural review. Editorial approach.

Something needs updating? Suggest a correction

Published · Updated

By jennyzhuang

Sources checked View sources ↗

Detailed PDF ↓

Full reference edition with expanded explanations and illustrations. Its publication dates appear in the file.

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Soil: Miracle-Gro Organic Potting Mix (US, feeds for up to 2 months)

By jennyzhuang

Sources checked View sources ↗

Published · Updated

Read the online Sources section for linked references and the full reference PDF.

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Plant Care Steps · Care card

Cilantro

Coriandrum sativum

Water
Keep the seed surface damp. Once established, water as the top inch starts drying; let excess drain.
Light
Sun or light shade. Morning sun is useful when afternoons begin to get hot.
Temperature
Cool weather. A cool, bright patio or balcony
Common problems
Are cilantro and coriander different plants. They are the same plant. In US cooking, cilantro usually means the leafy herb and coriander means the mature seeds.