Growing cilantro in your herb garden is easy…but in order to have a continuous crop, cilantro seeds should be sowed every two weeks. It’s a fast growing herb and can be harvest quickly.

Cilantro looks like parsley. In fact, it’s called Chinese Parsley. If you purchase a bunch at the store, smell it first and make sure it’s not regular parsley… the strong citrus like fragrance will let you know right away whether you’ve picked up the right plant.

The herb, cilantro, dates back to at least 1,500 B.C. It’s mention in historic Sanskrit writing.

Cilantro and the herb coriander come from the same plant. Coriander seed come from the blooms of the cilantro plant… it’s a two-in-one herb

Container gardening is ideal for a year round cilantro crop.

1. Find a container that is at least 28 to 20 inches wide and about 10 inches deep. Make sure it has good drainage.

2. Fill the container with good potting soil. I like to use soil that already has the fertilizer in it. I’ve found that Miracle grow works well. Moisten the soil before you sow the cilantro seeds.

3. The seeds are very fine, so sprinkle the seeds over the top of the soil. Cover the cilantro seeds lightly with soil. Spray the soil to moisten the top layer. The seeds will germinate in 7 to 10 days if the container is kept in a sunny spot. Keep the soil moist.

4. Harvest the cilantro by cutting it near the base of the plant… leaving about 2 inches of stems remaining in the container. If you harvest the cilantro herb on a weekly basis, new leaves will being to appear. You can usually get 4 cuttings.

5. When your 4 cuttings are complete… pull up plants and resow the area.

Cilantro is not only used in Mexican food, but it’s an herb frequently used in Chinese food as well.

Till Later

Kathy Griffiths

Insightful Nana

P.S. My recipe… Fresh Mex Fiesta Salsa calls for fresh cilantro. Check it out and sign up for a free printable copy.