How to Grow Cilantro and Garlic Together

Purchase several different varieties of garlic for planting. Select firm bulbs without any visible bruising or damage. Each individual garlic clove is a seed. Common garlic (Allium sativum) is also known as Italian garlic, silverskin or soft neck garlic. It has a whitish/silver skin, occasionally blushed with deep pink or red, and is mild and preferred for most recipes.

Prepare a mixture of one part peat moss, one part garden compost and one part well-aged herbivore (cow, horse, sheep, goat) manure. Spread the mixture to a depth of 2 to 4 inches on the garden planting surface and cultivate well. Till the soil well with a garden tractor or hand shovel. Rake well, removing roots, rocks and debris.

Test your soil with a home test kit or take a same to your local county extension office for analysis. The soil's pH should be above 6.0. (pH 6.5 -7.0). If the pH is too low, add garden lime according to package directions.

Sketch out the planting area, deciding where to plant each species of garlic, cilantro and companion vegetables. Garlic is planted in autumn through early winter. Cilantro and vegetable seeds will be planted in early spring.

Plant garlic root side down, spaced four inches apart and about 1 to 2 inches deep. Garlic will remain fairly dormant during winter and sprout in the spring when soil warms.

Select vegetables to plant with garlic in the garden. Companion planting is a method of cultivating different types of plants together to the mutual benefit of both. Garlic contains natural anti-pest and anti-fungus properties that help keep surrounding plants healthy. When planted with cilantro, cabbage, lettuce and other leafy garden greens, garlic deters aphids and other common garden pests.

Plant cilantro seeds in a broad row between rows of garlic. Cilantro grows quickly. Trim weekly from different areas of the row to have a continual summer harvest of fresh cilantro to complement tomatoes and other garden vegetables.

Weed garlic and cilantro weekly. Neither of these flavorful plants like competition.