Coriander..help!!

[tea]

Does anyone have any advice on growing coriander?? I have some on my windowsill and it seems to go floppy and yellow pretty quickly even though I use it a lot in cooking...is there anything you're meant to do with it..or could I cut and feeze it??or dry it?

also do you have to keep cutting it to make it grow more?
tea

[MuddyWitch]

Tea, Corriander, planted in the ground grows into a pretty substantial herb, about 2-3ft (85cm-1M) tall with a similar spread.

http://www.timereleasedbrilliance.com/w ... 90x442.jpg

If your potted one came from a supermarket then it's not going to live happily for long. They plant several seeds in a tiny pot & sell them for immediate use really.

I plant my Corriander seeds direct, about 1ft (30cm) in a triangle of three, in late spring and harvest leaves as hubby needs. (He's the cook) We find three plants is plenty for just the two of us.

In the late summer I harvest the seeds for Winter use & for planting the following year. Corriander is an annual.

Hubby says you can freeze a few leaves in peak condition, in ice cubes for Winter use too, but they're not as good as fresh. So you could do as the s/markets do & pop a few in a pot for Winter use.

Hope this helps

MW

[Millymollymandy]

You just have to keep on sowing it as it goes to seed so quickly. Growing outside at this time of year is just perfect as it doesn't run to seed in these temperatures. I probably sow coriander about 10 times a year as well as all the self seeded ones that come up because after a few weeks it's no good for eating the leaves (unless you like the strong taste of the frilly leaves, which I don't). I find that for each plant you get very few edible leaves before they go frilly and a flowering shoot appears so I sow tons of seeds in great long rows!

[Cloud]

I have the same problem as you, tea. I've sown seen in a pot on the window ledge, I'm sure that's what the pack of seeds said to do, but all I get is leggy plants.

Last time I tried repotting it to a bigger pot but without success. Perhaps I waited too long as it went to seed immediately.

Next lot are going outside, but I have a question for those having success with this plant: when it starts to go to seed should I nip it out? - I'm growing it for the leaves, not the seeds.

Leggy coriander

leggy.jpg (33.24 KiB) Viewed 9478 times

[Millymollymandy]

Nipping out won't help one bit, you won't get any more of the edible leaves which quite honestly are usually at most about 6 per plant before they start gettng slightly frilly edges - I don't touch those as the taste is different. All the coriander that is used in Asian cuisine or sold in Asian shops or supermarkets are the first leaves of the plant. Sorry!

However of course you can still use coriander root in cooking (same sort of flavour) or leave it to flower - it's not a flowering plant of interest to bees or butterflies but you need flowers in order to get the seeds eventually.

It is really hardy and survives all through the winter so get it outdoors!

[Shirley]

I'm certainly no expert when it comes to growing stuff, but I seem to recall that there are different types of coriander - some that will produce more leaves and some that are better at producing flowers/seeds - I have also heard that letting them dry out will encourage the flower stems to form (and then the frilly leaves).

[Shirley]

http://www.herbexpert.co.uk/GrowingCoriander.html

http://www.which.co.uk/advice/growing-y ... /index.jsp

Recommended varieties

If you want the leaves choose ‘Cilantro’ and ‘Leisure’, which are slow to form seeds. If it’s seed you’re after, go for Moroccan coriander.

Edit to add that Santo seems to be a good variety for leaves - will try and get some and give it a shot myself. I LOVE coriander.

[Millymollymandy]

I bought some seeds that were supposed to be for 'leaf' and they were exactly the same as any other coriander!

Back when I lived in London and grew herbs in pots I tried the keeping coriander wet and that didn't make any difference to it bolting either.

So in my experience, whether wet or dry, in a pot or in the ground, it just bolts unless it is grown in a cool temp - ideal is around 10-15C. The trick for me is finding the right time to sow the 'last' row of the season - it needs some warmth to germinate but not enough to want to flower so it will keep me in leaves all through the winter!

The only other thing I haven't tried, which has just occured to me, is giving them a nitrogen feed. Hmmm, I'll try that next year!

[Mrs Moustoir]

MMM - have you tried the Confetti variety?

It has more frilly/carroty looking leaves from the start. I've found that it has a nice sweet (rather than bitter) taste and does seem to be a bit slower to run to seed...but as it has those frilly leaves anyway - perhaps I just don't notice it bolting!

[tea]

thank you!! A lot of advice to follow - to be honest I had no idea that there were even different types (novice alert!!!)

I think the main problem is that I use it and then end up with a big pot of stem bits that are left after I have taken the leaves and then the pot ends up being a big mess of slowly going bad stems!!! Maybe I need to get a giant pot in the conservatory and keep sowing in it!

[Millymollymandy]

MMM - have you tried the Confetti variety?

It has more frilly/carroty looking leaves from the start. I've found that it has a nice sweet (rather than bitter) taste and does seem to be a bit slower to run to seed...but as it has those frilly leaves anyway - perhaps I just don't notice it bolting!

No but I don't suppose they sell that in France! I don't need to buy coriander as I keep my own seeds but most of the time it just comes up all over the place because I let it self seed - tons of it coming up at the moment although in places where it's going to get a good digging soon anyway!

But wherever it went to seed this year it will be popping up by the thousands come March/April.

[Shelle]

tea, i did not realise there were different types either! this is my first attempt at growing coriander too, and all i have at the moment is 3 huge plants with pretty white flowers!

i am guessing from previous replies, maybe it is too hot here to grow coriander successfully (rarely under 20 degrees celcius).

any tips of what I should do? perhaps I am supposed to have pretty white coriander flowers as decoration in my garden :D

Shelle

[Millymollymandy]

You just have to keep on sowing it as it goes to seed so quickly.

[Shelle]

opps thanks

[tea]

To be painfully honest.....(novice alert) I didn't even know you could grow it outside !!! I'm off to buy coriander seeds and start again I think!!!
Thanks everyone!!