How to grow Leaf Coriander - The chef's gardener

Coriander (or called cilantro or Chinese parsley) is very quick to grow and one of the most popular herbs in the world.

It has a very unique flavour, you either love it or hate it – very often linked to your genetic & cultural basics.

This article will cover:

Only takes about 1 to 2 months to grow and is available online – Available from Amazon

There are 2 methods you can use:

If you want to grow leaf coriander indoors from seed using soil (i.e. in a pot) then all you do is.

Make sure you place the pot on a window sill, terrace or balcony in a sunny position, ideally with some shade during the hottest part of day.

Alternatively this is an ideal herb to use in your hydroponic or aquaponic system – like the pictured kitchen hydroponic kit.

All you do is:

Sow your seeds in rockwool planting cubes
Make sure you keep them moist
When they start to germinate put the cubes in your hydroponic or aquaponic system
And then grow as above, making sure you provide light 12 hours per day.

As it will be ready to be harvested quicker than planted in soil.

Either way if you want to use the herb for it’s leaves then you will be able to use the leaves in about 3 to 4 weeks.

They will grow to about 30 to 60 cm high

This herb has a very distinctive lemon & lime taste which (when added to recipes or salads) provide a real flavour.

There are 3 different types, each with a distinctive use:

Leaf coriander (this one) – used for cooking Chinese stir-fry, Mexican Salsa, etc.
Seed coriander – for Indian curries, German Sausages, etc.
Root coriander – for Thai soups, etc.

Which one you use will very much depend on what you would like to cook – whether that is as an ingredient in stir-fry or the tea (pictured)