Slow-Bolt Cilantro

Coriandrum sativum 'Slow Bolt'

herb

Cilantro is the fast, cool-season annual whose bright, citrusy leaves are essential to Mexican, Indian, and Asian cooking, while the same plant's dried seeds are the warm spice coriander. The Slow Bolt strain is bred to hold in leaf longer before bolting in heat, extending the harvest of tender foliage that is the toughest part of growing cilantro well.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Tomatoes and Peppers — Cilantro flowers draw aphid predators near them
• Spinach and Lettuce — Share cool-season space
• Cilantro flowers — A magnet for hoverflies, lacewings, and parasitic wasps
• Dill — A related umbellifer that also attracts beneficials

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Aphids →

  Let a few plants flower to pull in hoverflies and parasitic wasps; rinse colonies

• Powdery mildew →

  Space for airflow and water at the base

• Bolting →

  Sow in cool weather, provide afternoon shade, and harvest often

🌾 Harvest & storage

Snip the outer leaves once plants are a few inches tall, taking the lower, broader foliage and harvesting often to slow bolting and keep tender leaves coming. When the plant flowers and sets seed, let the round seedheads ripen and turn tan, then harvest and dry them as coriander; cilantro leaf is best used fresh, as it loses flavor when dried.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Cilantro is used in small amounts but contributes vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C along with antioxidants, while its seeds, coriander, add warm flavor and their own aromatic oils.