How and when to sow, grow and care for coriander before winter

Coriander (cilantro) is a very popular herbaceous plant among gardeners. They practice growing cilantro for early greenery, sowing seeds before winter. The crop is cold-resistant, so there are no problems with light spring cold snaps; the seeds overwinter well in the soil. Knowledge of the rules of agricultural technology will help to grow a good harvest of greens (cilantro) and seeds (coriander).

Preparing a site for planting cilantro

Preparatory work begins two weeks before planting. They determine the location, analyze the composition of the soil, remove roots and all plant debris. If the predecessor crop suffered from fungal diseases, treat the soil with a fungicide.

Priming

During the pre-sowing tillage period, it is worth analyzing its mechanical composition and acidity level. Coriander develops and ripens normally, giving a good harvest, on light, loose soil.

Light loams and sandy loams are ideal. The structure of heavy soils needs to be worked on when preparing beds for planting. Add sand, peat, compost. The proportions and type of additive depend on the quality of the soil in the garden. Depleted soil is enriched:

• organic matter (0.5 buckets per 1 m²);
• superphosphate (1 tsp);
• potassium nitrate (1 tsp).

The acidity level of coriander is important. It grows well if the soil is neutral or moderately acidic.

Illumination of the area

Lighting directly affects the content of essential oils in fruits. Coriander is a crop that needs light for full development. When planting in the shade:

• fruits ripen slowly;
• the harvest is small;
• the percentage of essential oil in the seeds is low.

A sunny area is a prerequisite for getting a good harvest. Lowlands are not suitable for planting, especially when sowing seeds before winter. Before they have time to rise, they will get wet. It is preferable to cultivate the crop on flat and elevated surfaces.

Predecessors

Any garden crop to which organic matter has been added will be a good predecessor to coriander. The spice feels great after cucumbers, all types of legumes, cabbage and potatoes.The aromatic herb goes well with spicy herbs (cumin, anise) and has a good effect on the growth of vegetables (cucumbers, zucchini, cauliflower).

Coriander varieties

Massive cultivation of coriander is carried out in the North Caucasus, Ukraine and the southern regions of the Russian Federation. Amateur gardeners plant cilantro everywhere; its fragrant greens can be found among summer residents of Yakutia. When choosing a variety, you need to carefully read the description.

Vegetable varieties are used for greens; they bloom late. Early ripening varieties that quickly enter the flowering period are sown for harvesting seeds and preparing essential oil.

Popular vegetable varieties of cilantro

Vegetable varieties include varieties of coriander in which flowers form later, this allows you to get more greenery for cutting. The following varieties are considered popular among summer residents:

• Amber;
• Borodinsky;
• Taiga.

Amber is good for its late bolting and early abundant greenery. Cutting can be done a month after germination. Coriander Borodinsky delights summer residents with juicy, aromatic leaves. It can be used for greens after 1-1.5 months, and seed ripening occurs after 90 days.

Taiga is a very popular variety with a late ripening period. Like cilantro, you can use it after 1-1.5 months. The leaves are brightly colored, thick, fragrant. They serve as an excellent addition to various dishes.

Varieties of obtaining coriander

To obtain coriander seeds, you can sow any variety. When planted in autumn, seedlings appear early, and the fruits ripen successfully in all weather conditions. To obtain spices early, you can sow the early ripening Debut variety, its characteristics:

• ripens in 1.5 months;
• rosette height 29 cm;
• socket weight 25 g.

The good thing about this variety is that in a short time you can get greens for meat and fish dishes, as well as spicy seeds for adding them to sauces, baked goods, and marinades.

It is worth paying attention to the mid-season variety Stimul. It can be sown before winter or early spring. It forms well-leafed rosettes weighing up to 45 g. The ripened fruits make an excellent seasoning. Stimul is also suitable for harvesting greenery; it can be sown every 2 weeks until July 15 and cut after 1-1.5 months.

Sowing cilantro seeds in open ground

Growing a good harvest from quality cilantro seeds is not difficult. This culture does not require complex technologies. Most gardeners practice planting with dry seeds (before winter, early spring) or treated with growth stimulants (spring, summer).

To obtain early production, they are propagated by seedlings. Sowing of seedlings is done in February, using separate cups and boxes for seedlings. The soil is taken from the garden. Grown rosettes are planted in open ground when frosts have passed and the soil has warmed up. If there is a threat of return frosts, the seedlings are covered with covering material at night.

Coriander planting dates

When choosing a variety, you need to pay attention to the characteristics and ripening period. You can grow coriander for an early harvest by sowing early-ripening varieties; their seeds ripen in 30 days. Harvesting of mid-ripening varieties begins after 35-40 days, late-ripening varieties - after 45-50 days.

Planting dates depend on the variety and weather conditions. You can sow in open ground before winter and from April to July. If the main purpose of planting is to obtain greenery, then from April to mid-July cilantro is sown every 2 weeks.

How to collect seeds

The seeds begin to ripen at the end of August. The harvesting period lasts until mid-September.If you do not remove all the plants, then next year the seeds that fell into the ground will germinate. This must be taken into account when harvesting. Coriander is a cold-resistant crop and reproduces by self-sowing even in Siberia.

The readiness of seeds for harvesting is determined by their color. You can start harvesting when 60% of all fruits acquire a brown-brown color. In the morning or evening, the bushes need to be cut at ground level, collected in bunches and dried in a suspended state in the shade (attic, barn, shed). You can thresh the seeds after 7-10 days and use them in cooking or for autumn-spring planting.

Pre-sowing seed preparation

For planting, use ripened seeds that have not expired. Germination persists for 2 years. Sowing is carried out with dry seeds; they do not require additional processing. All pre-sowing treatment comes down to visual inspection and rejection of unripe seeds; they can be easily distinguished by their smell, which resembles the smell of bedbugs.

When to sow coriander

In greenhouses, the first sowing is carried out in February or March, the exact period depends on the soil and air temperature. You can expect the appearance of flower stalks on the 40th day after the sprouts appear. With later sowing (May, June), flowering occurs earlier.

For sowing crops from seeds, the ideal time for planting in open ground is early spring or autumn. With late sowing, the number of seeds decreases and the volume of greenery increases. Cilantro is a plant with long daylight hours, and when daylight hours decrease (July-September), plant growth slows down and the number of shoots decreases.

How to sow cilantro in open ground

Recommended seed consumption is 1.5 g/m². You need to plant to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. Different sowing methods are allowed:

• into the furrows;
• scattered;
• into the hole.

When planting in rows, maintain an interval of 15 cm between lines. When planting scattered, 2.5 g of seeds are randomly scattered over 1 m². The holes are formed, observing a step of 10-15 cm, 3 seeds are placed in each. The soil must be moist before sowing.

Features of planting before winter

The timing of planting cilantro before winter depends on the region, usually it coincides with the end of Indian summer. Warming may cause seeds to germinate, which is not desirable. In autumn, the usual planting methods are used, the same as in spring and summer. The main difference is dry soil. The furrows are not watered before planting.

Care

Care when growing for seeds and greens is the same: removing weeds, loosening the rows, watering and periodic thinning. Planting in rows with optimal row spacing makes maintenance easier. At the same time, you can remove weeds and loosen the soil using garden tools (flat cutter, ripper).

Thinning the sprouts

As seedlings appear, it is necessary to monitor their density. Without thinning, if planted tightly, the plants will be weak with few leaves and seeds. Thinning of crops is carried out periodically, maintaining an interval between seedlings of 6-9 cm.

Features of watering

Soil moisture affects product quality. A common reason for early bolting of coriander is a prolonged lack of moisture in the soil. Moist and loose soil is the main condition for growing lush greens. During rains, watering is stopped as there is enough natural moisture in the soil.

Growth phase	Consumption per 1 m²
Before and after emergence	From 3 to 5 l
Active growth of the above-ground part	8 l
Seed ripening	2 l

Rules for feeding coriander in the garden

When growing coriander, all fertilizers are applied before planting. When planting before winter, humus and mineral fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus are added to the soil before digging. In the spring, before germination, the soil can be watered with a liquid urea solution of a standard concentration of 1 tbsp. l. on a bucket. On well-fertilized soil, coriander grows without additional fertilizing.

Diseases and pests

There are not many diseases that affect cilantro plantings, but during periods of prolonged rains and frequent dew in the morning, you can be left without a harvest. The cause may be ramulariasis of coriander. Pathogens can infect the plant throughout the entire growing season.

The first signs of ramulariasis appear on the leaves (brown spots).

Further development of the disease is accompanied by damage to the entire above-ground part: stems, umbels, buds, flowers, fruits. If the period of illness coincides with the flowering of coriander, then up to 80% of the harvest is lost. Before the formation of stems and the appearance of buds, plantings can be treated with fungicides. During flowering, all treatments are stopped, since the plant is a good honey plant.

With increased soil and air humidity, cilantro can be affected by powdery mildew. The fungus affects the above-ground part. When the first symptoms (white plaque) appear, you can use the traditional method - treat the plants with a soap-soda solution. When using chemicals, greens should not be eaten while the effect of the drug lasts. Pests to watch out for:

• bedbugs;
• seed eaters;
• winter cutworm;
• umbrella moth;
• wireworm.

Harvesting cilantro

Cilantro is grown for fresh consumption, drying, and freezing. It is necessary to sow the seeds several times during the summer in order to get 2 or more crops from one plot.The greens grow quickly and are suitable for eating and harvesting before flowering. To harvest greenery, use a sharp garden knife, cutting it 2-3 cm from the ground.

Important! In order for the plant to produce new greenery, you need to cut off the upper leaves, leaving the entire lower part of the coriander intact.

Dry the herbs in the shade. Store in crushed form. Use hermetically sealed containers. Dry cilantro retains beneficial properties and essential oils for no more than a year. Frozen greens last longer (2 years). Before freezing, it is washed, dried, crushed and scattered into containers.

The cilantro (coriander) harvest will be excellent if all recommendations for choosing a planting site, soil preparation and care are followed. There will be fresh, aromatic herbs on the table all summer long for fish, meat and other dishes, and from August to September you can collect coriander seeds.