Cilantro Planting Compatibility

Cilantro Benefits for Other Plants

• Louise Riotte, author of the companion planting guidebook "Carrots Love Tomatoes," writes that cilantro improves germination in anise. It is also believed to benefit spinach, chervil and asparagus. In addition to the companion benefits of cilantro, the herb growing website Our Herb Garden reports that cilantro attracts beneficial predatory insects into your garden including tachinid flies, parasitoid wasps and hoverflies. Cilantro has a reputation for driving away aphids and being resistant to aphids itself. It is also thought to repel spider mites and potato beetles.

Plants Beneficial to Cilantro

• Peas, beans and anise are thought to be beneficial to cilantro development. Peas and beans fix nitrogen into the soil, which benefits all leafy plants. The mutually beneficial relationship between anise and cilantro is less clear, but widely observed.

Problem Plantings

• Fennel and cilantro should never be planted near each other. Cilantro retards seed formation in fennel. Gardeners who practice companion planting are not surprised by this as fennel disagrees with most everything in the garden. It needs a big corner of the garden all to itself.

Cilantro Uses

• Many Mexican dishes are enhanced with chopped fresh cilantro leaves. A planting of pinto beans along with your cilantro can help round out your fiesta menu while improving your cilantro production. Coriander and cilantro refer to the same plant. In culinary use, coriander is the dried seed, while cilantro refers to the fresh leaves.

Growth Habit

• For fresh use, plant cilantro every three weeks during the growing season. Once the plant starts to develop blossoms and seed heads, the leaves stop developing. Harvest fresh cilantro only as you need it, it loses its fresh flavor quickly in the refrigerator. To harvest coriander seeds, allow the plant to go to seed. Cut when the seed head turns from yellow to slightly brown. Bundle the stems and place upside down in a paper bag, with the top of the bag gathered around the stems and tied. Hang them in a warm, dry room for a couple of weeks. The seeds will ripen and fall to the bottom of the bag. Sort out any stems and save the seeds in a glass jar.