How to Grow Parsley and Cilantro Inside

Fill the cups about halfway with warm water. Label one cup "parsley" and the other cup "cilantro."

Place the parsley seeds into the appropriate cup. Squeeze the cilantro seeds carefully with pliers to crush the husk slightly and place each seed into the appropriate cup.

Soak the parsley seeds for about eight hours. Soak the cilantro seeds for one to two days. Remove the seeds from the water after the soaking time elapses. Plant the parsley seeds immediately; allow the cilantro seeds to dry on a paper towel for one to two days.

Fill the containers to the top with potting soil. Label one container "parsley" and the other container "cilantro."

Scatter the parsley seeds over the top of the soil in one container and the cilantro seeds over the top of the soil in the other container. Cover the parsley seeds with about 1/2 inch of soil; cover the cilantro seeds with 1/4 inch of soil. Water the soil carefully to make it evenly moist.

Place the containers in a location that receives direct sunlight. Keep the soil moist while the seeds germinate -- parsley may take three weeks to germinate and cilantro should germinate after about one week.

Thin both the parsley and cilantro seedlings when they become about 2 to 3 inches tall, leaving the strongest single plant growing in each container.

Fertilize both herbs once each month by mixing the fertilizer with water according to package recommendations. Pour the fertilizer over the soil carefully so you don't wet the foliage with the fertilizer.

Harvest leaves from both parsley and cilantro for cooking about two to three months after planting the seeds. Clip the leaves to remove the top 1/3 of the stems.