Annual
How to grow coriander
Coriandrum sativum
Sow coriander direct where it is to grow, 1 cm deep, every three weeks from March to September, in free-draining soil that stays moist. Each sowing gives leaf for only a few weeks before it flowers, so success comes from repeat sowing, a slow-bolting leaf variety and steady watering. Spring and late summer sowings last longest; in June and July give it light shade.
- Hardiness
- Half-hardy; autumn sowings stand light frost
- Position
- Sun, with light shade in summer
- Soil
- Free-draining, moisture-retentive
- Ideal pH
- 6.5 to 7.0
- Water
- Moderate, drought triggers bolting
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting coriander
WhenSow Mar to Sep every 3 weeks direct; harvest 4 to 6 weeks later
Starting off
Sow direct Mar to Sep every three weeks, 1 cm deep; germination takes 7 to 21 days at 10 to 20°C. Each seed is a double, so cracking it in half with a rolling pin speeds emergence. Never transplant: the taproot resents disturbance and bolts. A Sep sowing under a cloche gives leaf into Nov. Slow-bolting leaf selections such as 'Calypso' are worth paying for.
Spacing and planting
Sow thinly and thin to 10 to 15 cm apart in rows 30 cm apart, 1 cm deep; for leaf, 5 cm apart in a broadcast patch works. Fine in a 20 cm pot or window box with at least 10 cm of compost.
Varieties worth growing
- 'Calypso'
- The slowest to bolt of the common leaf types, with a low growing point that regrows after cutting three or more times.
- 'Cruiser'
- Compact, upright and leafy with good bolt resistance. A strong choice for pots and window boxes.
- 'Confetti'
- Finely divided, feathery leaves with a slightly sweeter flavour. Quick to crop and good as cut-and-come-again baby leaf.
- 'Santo'
- A reliable, widely sold leaf variety that also sets a decent seed crop if you let the last sowing run on.
- 'Moroccan'
- Grown for seed rather than leaf: it bolts fast and carries a heavy crop of seed to dry in August and September.
Coriander month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do outdoors. Order seed of a slow-bolting leaf variety.
- February
Nothing to do outdoors. Put a cloche in place to warm the soil for March.
- March
First direct sowing under a cloche from the middle of the month.
- April
Sow in the open. Thin the first row to 10 to 15 cm, or 5 cm for cut leaf.
- May
Sow again. Start cutting the March sowing at 15 cm tall.
- June
Sow in light shade. Water in dry weather; early rows will be flowering.
- July
Sow in light shade. Leave bolted plants for the hoverflies or for green seed.
- August
Sow for autumn leaf; these rows last longer as the days shorten. Cut brown seed heads.
- September
Last sowing, where a cloche can cover it. Hang seed heads in paper bags to dry.
- October
Cloche the September sowing. Keep picking.
- November
Final pickings from under the cloche until hard frost ends it.
- December
Nothing to do. Store dry seed in a jar for the kitchen.
Feeding coriander
Coriander needs no fertiliser in decent garden soil, and rich feeding gives soft growth with less flavour. Only pots and thin, sandy soil justify anything, and then seaweed rather than nitrogen.
Low, over-feeding and heat just make it bolt to seed.
Feeding plan
Open ground, reasonable soil
No feed
Nothing. Sow where a previous crop was composted or fed.
Before sowing, thin or sandy soil only
50 g/m², the low end of the label, raked into the surface once: about 15 g per metre of row 30 cm wide.
Pots, after each cut
1 g per litre of water as a drench, no more often than every 2 to 3 weeks. A pot rarely lasts long enough to need more than two.
Signs to watch
A flower stem shooting up at 15 cm
Heat, drought or root disturbance, not nutrient
Sow again in part shade and keep moist
Yellowing lower leaves and stunting in a pot
Nitrogen exhausted in cheap compost
One half-strength balanced feed
Reddish-purple tints in a cold spring
Phosphorus locked up by cold
Warmth, no feed
Pests, diseases and problems
A flower stem and thin, feathery leaves appear before you have had a proper crop
Bolting, brought on by long days, heat, dry soil, crowding or transplanting
Sow direct and never transplant, water in dry spells, give summer sowings light shade, grow 'Calypso' or 'Cruiser', and sow again every three weeks so a new row is always coming.
Seedlings in a pot collapse at soil level in a damp, grey patch
Damping off, encouraged by thick sowing, overwatering and still air
Sow thinly in fresh compost and clean pots, water from below in the morning, and give the pot good light and air.
Seedlings eaten off or missing from the row
Slugs and snails
Pick them off by torchlight, keep the row clear of debris, and apply nematodes to moist soil from April.
Green or black insects clustered on stems and flower heads, leaves curled
Aphids
Squash or wash off with water. Flowering coriander draws in hoverflies and lacewings whose larvae eat aphids, so leave a few plants to bloom.
White powdery coating on the leaves in late summer
Powdery mildew on dry, crowded plants
Water at the base, thin to the proper spacing, and replace the row with a fresh sowing.
Seed fails to come up, or comes up weeks late
Cold soil in early spring, or a drill that dried out; germination takes up to three weeks
Wait for the soil to warm or sow under a cloche in March, water the drill before sowing, and keep it damp until the seedlings show.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Cut leaf 4 to 6 weeks after sowing once plants are 15 cm tall, picking outer leaves or shearing the whole plant 3 cm above soil for one regrowth; expect 30 to 50 g per plant. Freeze chopped leaf in ice-cube trays, as drying loses the flavour. For seed, cut heads when brown in Aug to Sep and hang in paper bags.
Rotation and companions
Rotation: umbellifer group with carrots, parsley and celery, 3-year gap. Keep it away from fennel, which suppresses neighbouring umbellifers.
Good to knowSow direct (it dislikes root disturbance) little and often; very bolt-prone in summer heat.
Growing coriander in pots
Coriander grows well in a pot if it has depth for the taproot. Use a pot at least 20 cm wide and deep, or a window box with 10 cm or more of compost, filled with fresh multipurpose compost. Scatter the seed thinly, about 2 cm apart, cover 1 cm deep, and cut the leaves with scissors at 10 to 15 cm, leaving 3 cm to regrow. Keep the compost evenly moist and move the pot out of midday sun in summer. Sow a new pot every three weeks rather than trying to keep one going. Supermarket pots are dozens of seedlings crammed together: use them quickly.
Coriander: common questions
Why does my coriander keep bolting?
Coriander flowers in response to long days, heat and stress, so summer sowings bolt within weeks whatever you do. Slow it down by sowing direct, watering regularly, giving light shade in June and July and growing a leaf variety such as 'Calypso'. Then sow again every three weeks.
Can I grow coriander indoors on a windowsill?
Yes, from March to October on a bright windowsill that is not baking hot. Sow straight into a pot at least 20 cm deep and cut the leaves young. In winter the light in a UK window is too low for good growth, and plants become thin and pale.
Does coriander grow back after cutting?
Yes, once or twice, if you leave about 3 cm of stem and the central growing point. Slow-bolting varieties such as 'Calypso' regrow best. After the second or third cut the plant flowers, so have the next sowing ready.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.
- How to grow corianderRHS
- How to grow corianderBBC Gardeners' World Magazine