How to Grow Coriander (Cilantro) UK

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Coriander (Cilantro) (Coriandrum sativum)
  2. When to Plant Coriander (Cilantro) in the UK
  3. Quick Facts
  4. At a Glance
  5. Soil & Growing Conditions
  6. Growth Stages
  7. Harvest & Storage
  8. Diseases
  9. Pests
  10. Coriander, Grown for Leaf or for Seed
  11. Plan your Coriander (Cilantro) planting
  12. Growing Coriander (Cilantro) in another region
  13. References
  14. Frequently Asked Questions

In the UK, coriander (cilantro) goes in the ground early March to late September, and is ready to harvest 70 days after planting.

Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: sowing early March, and that same window applies across all 4 regions covered here.

The short answer

Plant
Early March to late September
Ready in
70 days
Site
soil pH 5.5–7.5
Biggest risk
Powdery mildew

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Coriander (Cilantro) (Coriandrum sativum)

Coriander growing in a garden bed — “Blankenburg, Kloster Michaelstein, Klostergarten, Koriander” by Dguendel is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

6 sources cited · Verified

When to Plant Coriander (Cilantro) in the UK

When to plant coriander (cilantro) in the UK: in Southern England, sow early March to late September. Find your area in the table below.

Coriander growing in a garden bed
Coriander growing in a garden bed. Photo by Dguendel, CC BY 4.0.
Region Sow
Southern England early March to late September
Midlands early March to late September
Northern England early March to late September
Scotland early March to late September
Southern England - detail & sources

RHS: sow outdoors spring through autumn, or indoors from February; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and successional sowing through the season is recommended regardless of region.

Midlands - detail & sources

RHS: sow outdoors spring through autumn, or indoors from February; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and successional sowing through the season is recommended regardless of region.

Northern England - detail & sources

RHS: sow outdoors spring through autumn, or indoors from February; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and successional sowing through the season is recommended regardless of region.

Scotland - detail & sources

RHS: sow outdoors spring through autumn, or indoors from February; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and successional sowing through the season is recommended regardless of region.

A page from the UK Vegetable Garden Planner PDF: the crop rotation planner, with a planning grid and four-bed rotation tips

Plan your coriander (cilantro) — and the rest of the plot

This page covers coriander (cilantro). For every crop's sowing months on one chart, use the free UK vegetable planting calendar, and browse the UK vegetable growing guides for what else to grow alongside it. When you want the whole season on paper, the UK Vegetable Garden Planner is a printable PDF:

  • Twelve month-by-month sowing and harvest spreads
  • Raised bed, allotment and container layout pages for your own plot
  • A four-year crop rotation planner
  • Seed inventory, sowing log and harvest tracker
See inside the UK Vegetable Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · reprint every season

Quick Facts

A fresh bunch of harvested coriander leaves
A fresh bunch of harvested coriander leaves. Photo by HaJunkiyada, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 5.5 - 7.5
Optimal growing temp 15-25°C
Minimum survivable temp 0°C
Time to harvest 70-70 days
Drainage free-draining
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts leaves, seeds

At a Glance

A coriander plant that has bolted and is flowering
A coriander plant that has bolted and is flowering. Photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Coriandrum sativum Coriander (Cilantro) Powdery mildew Aphids DISEASES PESTS

Soil & Growing Conditions

A dense patch of leafy coriander seen from above
A dense patch of leafy coriander seen from above. Photo: “Kothmir (Gujarati- કોથમીર) (4170763487)” by Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Soil pH range

5.5 7.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Close-up of small white coriander flowers
Close-up of small white coriander flowers. Photo by Sapna Sony, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and germination 0 Sow outdoors spring through autumn, or indoors from February on a warm sunny windowsill; seeds surface-sown or in a shallow drill, spaced about 5cm apart, germinating in 1-3 weeks (RHS).
Leaf growth 1 Thin to 5cm apart for leaf crops; water routinely only in dry spells (ground-grown) or keep containers just moist; sow successionally every few weeks for continuous leaves (RHS).
Cut-and-come-again leaf harvest, or bolt-risk period 3 Harvest leaves once plants reach 10-15cm tall, a few per plant with 2 weeks recovery between pickings; remove flower stems immediately and shade from midday sun in hot weather to delay bolting (RHS).
Flowering, seed set and seed harvest 6 For seed crops, sown in spring/early summer and thinned to 20cm, plants flower and set seed; harvest green for milder flavour or brown/ripe, cutting whole stems into a paper bag, drying about a week (RHS).

Harvest & Storage

A fresh bunch of harvested coriander leaves
A fresh bunch of harvested coriander leaves. Photo by HaJunkiyada, CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: RHS: leaves ready in as little as ten weeks from sowing. UMD: harvest plants when 6 inches high, or pick leaves sparingly at 4-6 inches tall; for seed (coriander spice), wait until flower heads turn brown and gather seeds as they ripen in mid-summer.

Storage

Fresh leaves used immediately or refrigerated; seeds dried and stored for spice use

Diseases

A dense patch of leafy coriander seen from above
A dense patch of leafy coriander seen from above. Photo: “Kothmir (Gujarati- કોથમીર) (4170763487)” by Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Pests

A dense patch of leafy coriander seen from above
A dense patch of leafy coriander seen from above. Photo: “Kothmir (Gujarati- કોથમીર) (4170763487)” by Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Aphididae (various spp.)

Plan your Coriander (Cilantro) planting

When to sow and plant Coriander (Cilantro) depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Coriander (Cilantro) in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

References

  3. Annual, 1-2ft tall and wide, fast growing and low maintenance. Full sun (6+ hours) or partial shade; medium-moist, well-drained loamy soil. Propagated from seed, allowing 12in-3ft of space. IT BOLTS EASILY IN HOTTER CLIMATES and flourishes in cool conditions in spring and autumn, which is the central difficulty in growing it for leaf. Leaves and stems are used fresh as cilantro; the mature seeds, borne in round yellow-brown pods, are the spice coriander. No specific pests or diseases recorded.

6 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I sow coriander (cilantro) in the UK?

In Southern England, from early March. In Scotland, wait until early March. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.

When do I sow coriander (cilantro)?

Sow early March to late September.

How long does coriander (cilantro) take to grow?

Typically 70 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH does coriander (cilantro) need?

A pH of about 5.5–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect coriander (cilantro)?

Our data links 1 disease and 1 pest to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.

Get the UK Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for UK growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides UK

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Last verified 2026-09-02

Plan Coriander (Cilantro) by month

The months this guide gives for sowing or planting, each with the full list of jobs for that month in the UK:

More from the same group (herbs & aromatics):

Relevant next steps

Where To Go From Here

Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.

UK garden plannerTurn this crop guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and a harvest record. All growing guidesBrowse every crop we cover for your region, A to Z. Planting CalendarSee how this crop fits alongside everything else you are growing.

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