Coriander is a nice leafy herb that stays abundantly leafy during most of the seasons with the exception of the hot months. Start growing coriander in winter, as it actually thrives best in garden pots throughout the cooler months.
Growing Coriander in Pots
Just like other herbs, coriander should have adequate exposure to sunlight, occasional fertilising and watering and an excellent drainage situation. As long as the garden pots have good drainage, watering at least once a week would basically be enough for growing coriander at home.
Sowing and Planting
You can sow coriander seeds either 10 to 20 cm apart in 6mm deep soil. When it looks like the plants are quite crowded in the pot or container, you can pluck out the weakest ones to ensure the health of the stronger seedlings. When buying coriander seedlings from a garden center, big seedlings doesn’t always mean they are the better choice. In fact, it is better to choose the smaller healthier seedlings. Plant them in a container 20 cm apart.
Tending and Care
Growing coriander at home requires very little care. Water the plant at the base and do it once or twice a week. Remember to not overwater or drown your coriander in their garden pots. Fertilising it even takes less effort because you only do it once or twice a month with Nitrosol or any liquid plant food.
Harvesting and Culinary Use
Coriander recipes can use all parts of the plant- leaves, roots and stem. You can either cut off as many leaves from the plant or you can pull out the entire plant off its pot if you want. If you snip off the leaves, the plant will just grow more. If you however want a stronger flavor, it is best to use the stem or the roots.
For the powder however, you would have to use the coriander seeds. You just have to wait until the plant produces flowers. Wait some more and the flowers will die out leaving a cluster of seeds. In spring, the plant dies down signaling you to cut off the seed clusters. Dry them out by hanging them in a shed or anywhere dry. In a few weeks, you could crush some, toss it in a grinder and make yourself some aromatic coriander powder.
