Coriander, also known as Cilantro is a kitchen herb that is often used in Eastern and Moroccan cuisine. It gives stews, Moroccan Tajines and soups and curry's with coconut milk an authentic Eastern flavour. Don't let it cook to long, because this chances the flavour of this herb. You can also scatter coriander over your dishes after cooking. Annual or biennual plant.
Indoor sowing: February - March
Outdoor sowing: middle of May - June
Germination: 5 - 21 days
Germinationtemp.: 15 - 20°C
Sowing depth.: 1 - 1½ cm
Plant distance: 23 - 30 cm
Plant position: sunny - half shade
Harvest period: July - October
Sow indoors from February till March in a large flowerpot approx. 10 seeds. Sow approx. 1½ deep and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Keep moist and warm. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the nights. Don't put the flowerpots in a window-sill but put them on a light and warm spot. Make sure that the pots have a good drainage.
Sow outdoors from the middle of May, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts, on a sunny spot with free draining soil. Sow approx. 1 cm deep and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Germination takes approx. 14 - 21 days, depending on the temperature and the weather. Coriander has a very tender rootsystem that doesn't tolerate transplanting. Thin the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to 25 cm apart and all around. Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged, because coriander hates wet feed. Put the plants on a sunny plot with some shade in the summer and free draining soil. Harvest the leaves regurlarly.
