When to Plant Cilantro
Cilantro is a half-hardy cool-season herb. It takes light frosts but not a hard freeze.
Sow it outdoors from 3 weeks before the last spring frost to 1 week after it. For a fall crop, sow 5 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 40 to 55 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Mar 25 – Apr 22 | Apr 24 – May 22 |
| Harvest | Apr 3 – 24 | May 4 – 25 | Jun 3 – 24 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Sep 20 – Oct 11 | Aug 30 – Sep 20 | Aug 5 – 26 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 30 – Nov 20 | Oct 9 – 30 | Sep 14 – Oct 5 |
Growing cilantro
Sow directly every few weeks because cilantro goes to seed quickly once the weather warms.
- Spacing: 6 in apart, in rows 12 in apart. In a raised bed, 9 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 40 to 55 from sowing, then about 3 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 21 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Rotation: cilantro is in the carrot family. Plant it where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: bush bean, eggplant, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, pea (shelling/snap/snow), pole bean, romaine lettuce, spinach. See companion plants for cilantro.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant cilantro and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can cilantro go in before the last frost?
Yes. Cilantro is half-hardy: sow it from 3 weeks before the last spring frost to 1 week after it.
How long does cilantro take to grow?
About 40 to 55 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 3 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow cilantro in fall?
Yes. Sow 5 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow cilantro?
Every 21 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Growing, Harvesting, and Drying Herbs
- University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners (UC ANR): Use and Culture of Culinary Herbs (table from the California Master Gardener Handbook)
- Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System (J. Masabni): Growing Herbs (E-561, 2009)
- University of Maryland Extension: Care of Herbs and Starting Herbs from Seed
- WSU Extension King County Master Gardeners: Tip Sheet #8: Growing Herbs
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Penn State Extension: Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)