They are growing normally. And will sooon be harvestable. You want tender soft stems and leaves. After they have a few parsley shaped leaves, they are ready. You can clump them close together in the pots too. Avoid strong heat and sun.

Yes, they are growing normally. I decided myself to do a bit more Cilantro. Mine are in the same stage pretty much.

If you like it enough to have a continous supply during the summer, you can plant batches of seeds about every 2-3 weeks apart.

Small plants are the last of my problems. I have a small hedge already. It's knee high and I'm already cutting it back like crazy. We live at 6500 feet in Colorado and have awful clay soil. We do add yummy home made compost twice a year and it is well mulched. It is generally kept on the moist side. I just threw the seed down 6 weeks ago and now I'm giving it away. Tell me what I'm doing wrong and I'll keep doing it.

Here's my adult dill weed & my new stuff...

sorry....meant to post Cilantro, not dill weed. It won't let me post it now...you can see some on the side of the dill weed though.

If you do plan to transplant these, keep in mind they do not transplant very well, so growing in a pot would be just fine.

I've always found cilantro to be a cool-weather herb (it originated in the mountains of South America, if I remember right). I plant mine early around the last frost, harvest through the spring and let it bolt in the summer. In the fall, we usually have a good harvest once the cooler weather comes in around mid-October here in Oklahoma.

Ok, here's an actual pic of my Cilantro this time, from today. It doesn't seem to be growing too well. The tallest one is only about 4 inches. Is it possibly too hot to start it? I started these a little over a month ago.

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Thanks so much to everyone! This has been very helpful.

My cilantro looks very much like the picture above, only they cannot even stand up as straight. Plus they are getting little white spots on some of the leaves.

This is not as easy as you would have thought...Except for my neighbor who has a garden, planted them out there, and has big bushes of everything...Maybe next year I'll be there too....

Thanks again

The very few plants you have are still very small. If they are exposed to heat outdoors, above about 80 degrees, they will wilt and die. They do not like direct sunlight either. The very few you have would barely flavor about a tablespoon of salsa. It looks like its in plain soil dug from outdoors and also looks very wet and muddy. Something that most plants started from seeds do NOT like to be in. Hope it has plenty of drainage, as most potted plants require a way for water to drain out.

I have seen it grown in very poor dry soil and partial sun in Puerto Rico almost like a weed. I think it does not like to have wet feet, but loves the heat!

Yea, i'm trying to keep it out of the heat as much as possible as I know it doesn't like it. It doesn't sit on the rail of my porch like several of my plants do that like sun. It's under the table I use to hold my tools, pesticides, etc.. :)

I think that the cilantro in Puerto Rico is actually a similar plant - culantro perhaps? I tried it several years ago, and didn't care for the flavor

Actually, that is quite a different plant, and tastes are slighlty similar only. Some people do not like Cilantro, especailly in a salsa. It tends to fade fast and might have a medicinal or chemical flavor to some. I used it in Pad Tai, and mixed with bean sprouts. The combiantion there is NOT tasty.

mmm...Pad Thai...I love that dish! Never had Cilantro in it. Usually just peanuts, chicken, etc.. By the way, my Cilantro, since I moved it to an even darker spot, has decided to start growing a bit again. Another lesson in patience, I imagine.

MIne is peanuts, shrimp, broad noodles, coconut milk, and cilantro, usually as a garnish. Its mad a bit differently everywhere. One resurant had it and was so sweet it was like a peanut dessert, ugh! I like mine with just a hint of hot chili taste. Cilantro will soon change leaf shape and them bolt fast. Its best when cut as the flat leaves and tender stems. You can use the later ferny type leaves, but teh staks tend to get tough. Its seed, to harvestable herb is about 40-50 days. Flavor dies out within a day or two, if not left cold, covered and not allowed to dry out or be cut up. Volitile to say the least. In a good fresh tomato salsa its also really good if you use plenty.

Yea, I like my Pad Thai about the same as yours. I don't use Cilantro, but I also don't like it sweet and always get the "hot" version. =) Speaking of Cilantro, mine appears to be quickly approaching the "taking off" stage as in the last day or two, 2 out of the 4 plants, so far, have several new growths showing (new stem/leaves). Probably, if I had to guess, about 4-6 per plant, that I can see (as of yesterday morning).

First few leaves, flat like parsley, then soon after, taller, thinner ferny leaves, then the flowers and seeds (fruits) come very fast. Cut at the first leaf stages when they look like flat leaf parsley. The stems too, as they are very soft and tender. Once ferny leaves and seeds, they have BOLTED and will never return to the same flat leaves again.

I HOPE YOU HAVE BETTER LUCK WITH CILANTRO THEN I HAVE HAD. I HAVE TRIED GROWING CILANTRO FROM SEED AND FROM PLANTS ALREADY GROWING THAT I HAVE BOUGHT AT THE NURSERY I WORK AT. EVERY TIME I TRY TO GROW THEM FROM SEED, THEY BLOOM FINE AND THEN THEY SEEM TO FIZZLE OUT ABOUT FIVE WEEKS AFTER THEY HAVE SPROUTED. I HAVE TROUBLE KEEPING THE PLANTS ALIVE THAT I BOUGHT AT MY NURSERY BECAUSE IT SEEMS THEY LIKE A LOT OF WATER ONE WEEK AND A LITTLE WATER THE NEXT.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GROW THEM SUCCESSFULLY FROM SEED, SINCE THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN THIS LATE IN THE SEASON? CAN I GROW THEM INDOORS? ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL

THANKS!!!

Never buy cilantro plants, unless your going to cut it all off in a few days and eat it all. Its the best way to serve fresh though, as if its picked and left in the fridge two days it looses about 75% of the volitile flavor and smell. I start in 2x2 inch pots and put 20 seeds or more in each. Once mature to the flat leaf stage, they all get used. Start 10 pots at 10-15 day intevals, and you have a months or more of it. They hate age, and heat, hate a lot of sun, and love being crowded and cool. Yes indoors are fine. These are actually tiny fruits and each has a few seeds inside teh little round pods. So they are fine when clumping/growing. Dont use store bought whole coriander in the spice section as most are heat treatedand will not sprout. I buy a 1/4 pound bag of seeds and it lasts me 3-4 years. If its outside growing in the soil Z7, and you let it go to seed, you will see it spread to more and more areas every spring. If its all harvested before bolting and seeds, it will not return the following year unless you plant early spring, or in late fall for the following spring. Cilantro usually is good to harvest in about 45 days from plant seeds (fruits). The soil used is a good quality seed starting mix. Mosta re actually soiless, sterile and light to help hold the necessary moisture. To reduce the first few waterings, I start the pots in a big plastic tray with a clear plastc dome cover under a plant light. They get light and moisture, with little loss. The clear lid is removed once they are about 2-3 inches tall or touch the clear lid. Then just water when they star to droopp a slight or the soiless mix is dry on the surface. Never soak.

Thanks...very helpful info. I'm gonna start mine over sometime soon.

Another example of my 'HELP'

I started my Cilantro over...about 25-30 seeds spread strategically throughout the same container shown above. Hopefully, it will do better this time.

Thanks ksrogers!! What a totally helpful post! I thought perhaps the ferny bits on my cilantro were bad news. I will clip and use the good parts.

Is it too late to start more seeds? I live in Northern IL. It's probably too hot now, isn't it....maybe I could put the pots in the shade??

Well, my Cilantro is already doing much better this time. :) It's even in the heat outside too. Picture attached to this message. I'm just gonna leave it in this container & let it grown in bunches, shade each other, etc..

Nah...they sound cool though. Buy at your usual garden section of whatever store?

I am confused. Posts here indicate that Cilantro hates the Sun. I also read where morning sun and afternoon shade is probably best. I started a dozen plants from seed in pots with organic garden soil on the east side of my house. They get 6 hours of early sun. They ALL lean (practically laying down) toward the south sun. At first I tried rotating the pot every day. No matter which way I turn the pot, they all lean toward the sun. Funny for a plant that hates the sun so much. Now none of them seem to be able to stand on their own. I quit rotating the pot and prop them all up with soil everyday. But they are so weak that just the drops of water hitting them from the sprinkling can causes them to fall over and lay down again. I had the same problem with tomatoe seedlings last year. No cutworms. Any advice appreciated.

They sound weak, like they were started indoors and rather leggy when moved outdoors. Poor starts can cause alot of problems. Better indoor lighting, cooler temperatures after germination, and fans are some of the ways people make their seedlings stronger and better suited for growing outdoors.

FataMorgana

And water from below rather than sprinkling from above. ie place the pan in water until it shows on the soil surface. Then remove and drain thoroughly. Don't water again until the soil is fairly dry.

I planted cilantro sometime last fall, it started to grow and then Feb.1 we were blessed with about 20 inches of snow, then Feb.10 record breaking lows of -28f, then Feb. 17 record breaking high of 82f, and the snow is now melted and the cilantro is still growing (Feb.18th)! I've taken cilantro bunches from the store and put the stems in a cup of water and left them in the fridge, they stayed perky and green for several months until the water was gone. I think the cilantro soaked up the water.