You will find that growing cilantro can be quite useful. Its seeds are called coriander and are used in many dishes. Its fresh leaves are also found in various recipes, from beans to salsa, among others.

Cilantro can be grown indoor. Your objective should be to ensure that the plant produces leaves for as long as possible. Keep in mind that larger and older leaves often taste bitter. To do so, you need to take care of the water you give it and the amount of light it gets. When the plant reaches 6 in (15 cm), it is ready to have its leaves cut.

Once the plant has gone to seed or bolted, it will no longer produce useable leaves. The seeds can be allowed to drop into the planter to start a new season of indoor plants, or they can be harvested and dried to be used in recipes that require coriander.

If you decide to grow cilantro indoor, you have to consider a few factors, such as the space that you have available to let it grow. You must pick a pot or a planter with a long taproot and large enough so that you won’t have to repot it. Cilantro does not appreciate it. Pick a pot or planter that will allow for proper drainage since roots could eventually rot.

To increase the exposure to sunshine, you can move the plant outside on a patio. You must remember that it produces seeds or bolt earlier when exposed to more heat. This means your season for stems and leaves will be shorter. In other words, cilantro needs adequate sunlight to become leafy and strong, but too much exposure will kill it. You will notice that Western sun is very hot during the summer. You may need some shading or move the plant away from the window during that time. The more suitable is usually morning (Eastern) sun or southern sun.

Usually, you can use a diluted liquid fertilizer sporadically to help the plant grow great leaves and stems. In terms of watering, average room humidity is often sufficient although it will require additional water if you planted it in a pot instead of a planter. Make sure not to overwater to prevent roots from rotting.

The seeds arrive once the plant produces small white blooms like Queen Anne’s Lace. You can either let them fall onto the soil to ensure that you still have a new plant that will grow. Or you can harvested and preserve them in a paper bag to use them later. You can also dry them and use them as coriander.

Growing cilantro can be an interesting experience with multiple uses.

Alan Stables is learning how to grow herbs indoors including growing cilantro and rosemary, and is currently experimenting on fertility herbs. Check out his findings.