Oregon · Washington · Idaho

When to plant cilantro

Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 1 – Apr 19; Spokane Apr 1 – May 20; Boise Mar 20 – May 8; Bend Apr 28 – Jun 16.

Cilantro is the leafy herb of the coriander plant, used fresh in salsa and in Mexican, Indian and Southeast Asian cooking. Once it flowers, the round seeds it sets are the spice coriander, so a bolted plant still gives you a harvest. Some people taste cilantro as soapy, a trait linked to their genes.

Add to my garden plan

Puts cilantro on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.

Difficulty: Easy
Sun: Full sun; afternoon shade in summer
Spacing: 4 inches apart
Planting depth: ¼ inch deep
Frost: Handles light frost
First harvest: About 50 days after planting

Bolts fast in summer heat. Sow a short row every three weeks in spring, and again in late summer for fall.

Cilantro planting dates

Towns	Plant in the garden	Plant again for fall
Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 24 – Sep 7
Boise and Meridian, ID	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 16	Jul 27 – Aug 10
Astoria, OR	Mar 25 – May 13	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.

Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR	Mar 5 – Apr 23	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Cottage Grove, OR	Mar 13 – May 1	Aug 27 – Sep 10
McMinnville and Newberg, OR	Mar 4 – Apr 22	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Ashland and Talent, OR	Mar 25 – May 13	Aug 20 – Sep 3
Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR	Mar 25 – May 13	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 16	Jul 27 – Aug 10
Burns, OR	Apr 30 – Jun 18	Jul 19 – Aug 2
Klamath Falls, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 16	Jul 31 – Aug 14
Lakeview, OR	Apr 23 – Jun 11	Jul 30 – Aug 13
Madras, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 8	Aug 16–30
Prineville, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 8	Aug 4–18

Baker City, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 8	Jul 28 – Aug 11
Enterprise and Joseph, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 8	Aug 13–27
Hermiston, OR	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 22 – Sep 5
Hood River, OR	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 25 – Sep 8
John Day, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 8	Jul 31 – Aug 14
La Grande, OR	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 13–27
Ontario, OR	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 26 – Sep 9
Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Olympia, WA	Mar 18 – May 6	Aug 26 – Sep 9
Shelton, WA	Mar 16 – May 4	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA	Mar 25 – May 13	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Sequim, WA	Mar 10 – Apr 28	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Centralia and Chehalis, WA	Mar 11 – Apr 29	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 19	Aug 27 – Sep 10

Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Leavenworth, WA	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 12–26
Omak and Okanogan, WA	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 19 – Sep 2
Winthrop and Twisp, WA	Apr 3 – May 22	Aug 4–18

Ellensburg, WA	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 19 – Sep 2
Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Walla Walla, WA	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Goldendale, WA	Apr 7 – May 26	Aug 7–21
Moses Lake, WA	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 20 – Sep 3
Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 18 – Sep 1
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 23 – Sep 6
Yakima, WA	Mar 27 – May 15	Aug 16–30

Colville, WA, Pullman, WA	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 14–28
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 24 – Sep 7

Bonners Ferry, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 16–30
Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Sandpoint, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 10–24

Lewiston, ID	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 27 – Sep 10
Moscow, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 14–28

Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 27 – Sep 10
McCall, ID	May 11 – Jun 29	Jul 15–29
Nampa and Caldwell, ID	Mar 20 – May 8	Aug 25 – Sep 8

Burley and Rupert, ID, Twin Falls, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 16–30
Idaho Falls, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 13–27
Pocatello, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 23 – Sep 6
Rexburg, ID	Apr 1 – May 20	Aug 6–20
Salmon, ID	Apr 20 – Jun 8	Aug 6–20

Cilantro year at a glance

Task	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Plant			Mar	Apr				Aug	Sep
Harvest				Apr	May	Jun				Oct	Nov

Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.

How to grow cilantro

Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
Plant seeds on your city's dates, ¼ inch deep, 4 inches apart.
Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
Harvest: Cut leaves once plants are about 6 inches tall. If it bolts, let it go to seed and harvest the coriander.

Growing cilantro in your part of the Northwest

The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.

West-side valleys

Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon

Cilantro bolts quickly in summer, so sow in spring and again in late summer. Fall sowings sometimes overwinter.

Coast

Oregon and Washington coast

Cool summers stretch the harvest, but long days still trigger bolting. Sow small batches every few weeks.

East of the Cascades

Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho

Heat makes cilantro bolt within weeks. Sow in early spring and late summer, and grow slow-bolting varieties.

High desert and mountain towns

Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon

Cilantro grows well through the cool summers. It handles light frost.

More cilantro varieties

More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.

Calypso

Slow-bolt, bushy

Compact, densely leafy plants bred to be very slow to bolt. It regrows well after cutting, so you get several harvests from each sowing.

Both sides

Santo

Slow-bolt leaf cilantro

A widely sold slow-bolting cilantro with good leaf production. Sow it every few weeks in spring and again in late summer for a steady supply.

Both sides

Leisure

Slow-bolt leaf cilantro

A vigorous, leafy cilantro selected to hold longer before flowering. A good all-purpose choice for both spring and late summer sowings.

Both sides

Delfino

Fernleaf cilantro

Finely cut, feathery leaves with full cilantro flavor. It is fairly slow to bolt and looks attractive in containers and herb beds.

Both sides

Slow Bolt

Standard slow-bolt type

The common seed-packet cilantro sold as slow bolt. Easy to find and inexpensive, it is good for sowing little and often through the cool seasons.

Both sides

How much to grow

How many to plant

For a family of four, a 2- to 3-foot row every three weeks.

What to expect

A bunch every week or two from a short row.

Storing the harvest

Keep stems in a glass of water in the fridge with a bag loosely over the top. Freeze chopped leaves in oil.

What to plant after cilantro

Around Portland, the cilantro harvest wraps up around June. These crops can still go into the same bed, and they come from a different plant family, which helps with rotation.

Portland dates. Pick your town at the top of the page for yours.

Key numbers

55–70°FSoil to sprout
6.2–6.8Soil pH
About 50 for leavesDays to harvest
Bolting in heatBiggest risk

Top care tip: Sow a short row every two or three weeks, because each planting bolts quickly in warm weather.

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

Soil and sowing

Cilantro grows best in fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of about 6.2 to 6.8 and steady moisture. It has a taproot and doesn't transplant well, so sow it directly where it will grow. Each round "seed" is actually a husk holding two seeds; gently cracking them before sowing can speed sprouting. Keep the soil damp until seedlings appear, usually within one to three weeks.

Why cilantro bolts

Cilantro is programmed to flower once days grow long and warm. Heat, dry soil and crowding all speed it up. Once a tall flower stalk rises, the leaves turn thin and feathery and the flavor changes. You can't stop it, but you can work around it: sow a short row every three weeks, give summer sowings afternoon shade, and grow slow-bolt varieties like Calypso, Santo and Leisure. In the Northwest, the most reliable crops come from early spring and late summer sowings. East of the Cascades, summer heat ends spring cilantro quickly, so early sowing matters even more.

Harvest, coriander, and winter

Cut leaves once plants are about 6 inches tall, taking the outer stems and leaving the center to regrow. Fresh cilantro keeps a week or so in the fridge with stems in a glass of water and a bag over the top. If plants bolt, let them flower: the blooms feed beneficial insects, and the seeds become coriander. Harvest when the seeds turn tan and dry them in a paper bag. West of the Cascades, a late summer sowing often survives mild winters and gives a spring harvest.

Good neighbors and crop rotation

Good neighbors

Lettuce. Same cool-season timing.
Squash and cabbage. Its flowers draw beneficial wasps and hoverflies.

Carrot family: Carrots, parsnips, celery, parsley, dill and cilantro share pests. Carrot rust fly pupae overwinter in the soil where last year's carrots grew, so plant the next crop as far away as your garden allows and rotate on a three-year cycle.

Pests and problems

What most often goes wrong with cilantro in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.

Bolting

Signs: Plants flower and leaves turn feathery.

What to do: Sow little and often in spring and fall; heat triggers bolting.

Aphids

Signs: Clusters on new growth.

What to do: Hose them off.

Saving cilantro seed

Will it come true?

Cilantro seed is coriander, and open-pollinated varieties come true. Insects can cross different varieties.

How to save it

Let plants bolt and leave the seed heads until the seeds turn brown and dry. Cut the stalks into a paper bag and rub the seeds loose. Store dry seed in a labeled paper envelope in a cool, dry place.

Common questions about growing cilantro

When should I plant cilantro in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?

Plant in the garden: Mar 1 – Apr 19 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 1 – May 20 in Spokane, Mar 20 – May 8 in Boise and Apr 28 – Jun 16 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.

Why does my cilantro keep going to seed?

Cilantro naturally bolts as days lengthen and warm up. Sow small batches every few weeks, grow slow-bolt varieties, and give summer plantings some shade. Spring and fall crops last much longer than summer ones.

Can I grow cilantro from coriander seeds?

Yes. Coriander is cilantro seed, and whole seeds from the spice aisle often sprout. Seed packets sold for growing are more reliable and may be slow-bolting types.

How do I harvest cilantro so it keeps growing?

Cut the outer stems near the base and leave the young center stems in place. Take no more than about a third of the plant at once. It will keep producing until it starts to bolt.

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