How to grow... Coriander
Rocket Growing Guides
India, Thailand, Mexico…cuisines from these countries really make the best of this amazing herb. It is absolutely delicious and growing your own and eating it fresh is so much more satisfying than buying it from the supermarket and having it hang around in your fridge for a few days.
Coriander is an annual plant – this means that it completes its entire lifecycle in one year.
Please note: see separate article for Vietnamese Coriander as these two plants are very different
- Coriander Growing Guide
How to Plant Coriander
- Coriander is prone to bolting during the summer, so it is a really good idea to plant it in a cool, shady spot that gets a little morning sun.
- Pots work well, but make sure they are deep as coriander likes to put down good roots. A raised bed would be good as well. Make sure they are in fertile soil
- Plant 20-25cm apart
How to Grow Coriander
- Keep the soil a little moist, but don’t overwater. The best time to water them is at noon in bright sunshine (quite the opposite from most plants!)
- As plants grow you will see small pairs of leaves on the lower sections of the stems. To encourage bushy growth, pinch stems off to a pair of these baby leaves. Also pinch off like this if you see any flower buds appearing – this will keep the plant producing leaves for longer.
Common Problems with Coriander
- Bolting – Your coriander plant will inevitably bolt at some stage. At this point it will start to form seeds. You can keep these. Just wait until the flowers have died. Then, cut the stems and pop the tops of the coriander into a brown paper bag, leaving the stems sticking out the other end. Tie the bag around the stems and hang it upside down in a cool, dry place. 3 or 4 weeks later, you can simply shake them and the dry seeds will fall out into the bottom of the bag. You can either keep them to sow the following year use them in your cooking.
How to Harvest Coriander
- Pinch off leaves as and when you want to use them.
- Leaves have better flavour before the plant flowers.
- Don’t forget that you can eat the dried seeds too.
