Posted by Jennifer Dixon on 23rd Apr 2020
How to Save Cilantro Seeds
Besides Basil I would have to say that Cilantro is probably my next favorite herb. It's very easy to grow and it's flavor is so refreshing especially when added to homemade tomato salsa. Cilantro grows best when planted in early spring because as the year moves more toward summer Cilantro will start to bolt. By bolt, I mean it's flowering process in order to produce seed for the next year. So as long as Cilantro is planted as early as possible you should be able to harvest many leaves before the plant goes into seed production.
The first thing you'll notice when Cilantro starts to bolt is it begins growing very tall and leggy. And it will begin to display a beautiful array of white flowers as seen below.
Since Cilantro is insect pollinated you will probably have many visitors to your flowering plants. Once the flowers are pollinated and they begin to die back you will then notice small clusters of green round seeds.
These seeds will turn from a vibrant green to a sandy brown. You can even pull up the plants by the roots once the seed has started turning brown and hang them in a drafty area to finish the drying process.
Once they are completed dry just separate them from the plant and store the seeds in a cool dry place for the next year.
It's a really easy herb to grow and I definitely recommend having a patch of Cilantro in your herb garden every year if possible. Because not only is Cilantro tasty it's also extremely healthy. In fact Cilantro is known to help rid your body of heavy metals! It also is loaded with vitamins such as A, C, E, and K. It also is wonderful at keeping various infections at bay. So in my opinion it's one of the best herbs you can grow.
Well that wraps up this week's post on seed saving Cilantro please feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
Happy Gardening!