I think it’s time we have a talk about cilantro. This popular herb is quite possibly the most misunderstood crop in the vegetable garden. If you’ve ever said something akin to: “I can’t grow cilantro. Whenever I try, it bolts right away!”, you’re not alone. Many people have a hard time growing cilantro and some have given up entirely. But all is not lost. With a little bit of planning, it’s possible to harvest perfect cilantro from the garden virtually any time of year.
Like basil and dill, cilantro is an annual herb, meaning that it needs to be replanted in the garden every year. It’s important to note that plants categorized as “herbs” come in all shapes and sizes. Being an “herb” has much more to do with how the plant is used in the kitchen rather than how the plant grows in the garden. Herbs can be large, woody perennials, herbaceous perennials, biennials, or annuals. The lifespan of any species depends largely on the climate, but cilantro is a particularly peculiar case because of its surprisingly short productive life in just about every climate.
So, you’re not alone when your cilantro bolts, because cilantro always bolts, even under ideal conditions. It should provide some level of relief to most gardeners that fast-bolting cilantro is not an indication that you did something wrong, it’s simply the inevitable growth habit of the crop.
Cilantro grows like a short-lived annual vegetable crop, similar to lettuce and arugula. Given its short lifespan and predilection to bolting, cilantro grows best from seed. Even though most garden nurseries sell transplants in four-inch pots, you’re much better off picking up a packet of seed and sowing it directly in the garden. When selecting seeds, look for a variety labeled as “slow bolting.” It would probably be more accurate to say “slower bolting”, because no matter what variety you select, it’ll still bolt relatively quickly.
Cilantro seed is huge, so it’s very easy to see how thick and how evenly you’ve seeded it. It’s best to seed wide and short rows of cilantro, an average planting might be a row about 2” wide and 12” long. These short rows should be seeded frequently and consistently to ensure a steady supply of the crop. If you want usable cilantro from the garden all season, direct seed a 12” row every 1 to 2 weeks.
