Herb
Cilantro / Coriander
Coriandrum sativum · Apiaceae (carrot/parsley family)
Also called: Coriander, Chinese Parsley, Dhania
Cilantro / Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is a moderate-water herb well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a fast-growing herb. Expect white to pale pink blooms spring as temperatures rise.
Cilantro / Coriander at a glance
- Water use
- Moderate (established)
- Sun
- Full sun in the cool season; provide afternoon shade if grown into warm spring weather to slow bolting
- Mature size
- 12-24 in. tall in leaf; up to 2-3 ft when flowering/seeding
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- White to pale pink, Spring as temperatures rise (bolting); white flower umbels precede coriander seed
- Cold hardiness
- Cool-season annual; frost-tolerant to light freezes (handles Tucson winter nights), but bolts and dies quickly once temperatures climb above the 80s-90s°F.
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter; tolerates Tucson's alkaline soils when amended with compost. Direct-sow, as it resents transplanting (taproot).
- Native range
- Southern Europe, North Africa, and southwestern Asia (Mediterranean to Middle East)
- Best used as
- Culinary herb (leaves = cilantro; seeds = coriander spice; Mexican, Asian, Indian cuisine), Cool-season vegetable-garden planting, Pollinator plant when flowering
- Wildlife
- Flower umbels attract bees, hoverflies, and other beneficial pollinators; foliage may be browsed by rabbits.
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic and safe for people, dogs, and cats.
How to grow Cilantro / Coriander in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Keep soil evenly moist; do not let it dry out, which triggers premature bolting. As a fast cool-season annual it needs regular, consistent water throughout its short life.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Light feeder. Amend bed with compost at planting and side-dress once with a balanced fertilizer mid-growth; excess nitrogen reduces flavor. Not a heavy feeder given its short cycle.
Pruning & care
Harvest outer leaves regularly to delay flowering. Once it bolts in spring heat, let it flower and set seed to harvest coriander, or pull and resow.
Notes
Strictly a cool-season crop in Tucson: direct-sow seed October through February (and again briefly in early spring). It will not survive the summer and bolts fast as heat arrives, so make successive sowings every few weeks. Direct-sow rather than transplant because of its sensitive taproot.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension / Pima County Master Gardeners; Brad Lancaster Tucson garden planting calendar; thisistucson.com (UA cool-season herb guidance); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder