I’m a big fan of making Mexican food, specifically fresh guacamole, so when I was planning out my garden for this year I was sure to make space for cilantro, an herb that is frequently used in Mexican and other Latino dishes. This was my first experience growing cilantro so I was unaware that bolting–when a plant uses all of its energy to make seeds rather than continue growing, this usually happens when the weather is warm–was a common problem with the herb. Apparently, cilantro, like humans, prefers to remain at room temperature (somewhere between 68 degrees and 74 degrees). Once cilantro feels the temperature rising, it bolts, and seeing as how New York has hot, muggy summers, my cilantro was destined to bolt early. Luckily, the seeds/fruit that cilantro produces after it bolts is another common herb: coriander, so all is not lost when your cilantro bolts.
After the jump, find out how to collect coriander seeds and tips on growing cilantro.
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I have previously written about Columbine flowers and how they are extremely easy to grow. Well they are also easy to collect seeds from! And now, a month after my flower post, my Columbine seeds were ready to be collected. After the jump, find a step-by-step guide to collecting seeds, complete with pictures.
The Brooklyn Gardener 