How to grow coriander -cilantro - kothimbir - dhania - at home ?

Yes its easy to grow coriander aka kothimbir - dhania at home .All that you need is little effort & the result is amazing .Not only that you get fresh green coriander leaves from your kitchen garden which are pesticide free but also a satisfaction of growing plants in your balcony or terrace.


This time I let the plants grow a bit longer as a result of which I saw the flowers of coriander which resulted later into fruit which when dried becomes coriander seed

Its a great joy growing these plants & watching them grow as you get addicted to monitor their growth daily & also get a feeling of satisfaction & joy.

All that you need is  a pot or container ( ice cream or shrikhand) & soil & coriander seeds & you are done .

I had planted them twice once in  a container & next time in a big pot (kundi) .In my case the second one gave better yield of coriander

Coriander or Cilantro? What is Coriander?

It's simple: the name cilantro refers to the leaves and the name coriander to the seeds. Some countries call both coriander, so coriander leaf is nothing else but cilantro.Chinese parsley", another popular name for cilantro.Coriander is a pretty annual herb with feathery leaves and white umbrella type flowers. The small, ball shaped seeds are widely used to spice up Asian curries, soups and stews.The fresh coriander leaf is also used for salads, soups and curries, and it tastes totally different from the seeds.

How to grow cilantro

Cilantro needs a frost free period to grow but it doesn't like extreme heat. So in milder climates you grow cilantro during summer, in tropical climates you grow it during the cooler dry season.

To grow cilantro you need reasonable soil and you need to keep the plants well watered.


Method:

1.Select a bowl-shaped container which is deep & wide enough .

 








2. The standard directions are to sow coriander seeds about 1 cm deep .Before seeding, moisten the soil using a fine spray from the hose .Just cover the seeds and keep them moist.

3. Sow the seeds, then cover lightly with soil.

4. Gently mist the soil  so as not to displace the seeds.

5. Place containers in balcony , if you live in a hot climate place in a  light shade. Seeds should germinate in 7 to 10 days.

6. Harvest at least weekly to keep leaves coming. Yes, the best way to harvest surplus plants is to pull them up. It's possible to harvest four crops of cilantro from a single pot. 



 


Tips:

• Both coriander and Pudina are shade-loving plants. So, grow them in the shade. Do not expose them to direct sunlight.
• To hasten germination, cover the soil with soaked straw or paper for a couple of days. It is a wonderful sight to observe the tiny Kothimbir  plants coming up.
• Select your site well. During the cooder times of the year (Or in cooler climates) choose a spot in full sun. If you expect hot weather, give your cilantro plants some shade.
• Water cilantro   well, but of course, make sure the soil drains well.
•  Rich, dark soil always produces the biggest, healthiest plants, but any reasonable soil with average nutrient levels should be fine.
• Always grow cilantro where the air can circulate freely.
• Sooner or later your cilantro plants will flower. Once they start developing that flower stalk they stop making more leaves.
• Keep watering and feeding your coriander plants well, and wait for the flower to develop and set seeds. In hot weather this may take as little as 4 - 6 weeks from sowing, during cool weather it can take several months.
•  



coriander flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
• For coriander seeds  wait till the flower heads are dry.Then cut the stalk, put the stalks  in a big paper bag and leave it in a dry spot for a couple of weeks. After a couple of weeks you take the bag and shake it and bash it and all the coriander seeds should fall off .
•  



tender coriander seeds

•