Harvesting Cilantro In The Garden
fresh organic cilantro bunch
(Image credit: narith_2527)

Cilantro is a popular, short-lived herb. If you wish to increase the life span of cilantro, harvesting it regularly will help greatly.

How to Harvest Cilantro

When it comes to cilantro, harvesting is relatively easy. All that is required is cutting cilantro plants about one-third of the way down. The top one-third is what you will use to cook with, and the bottom two-thirds will grow new leaves.

How Often Should You Harvest Cilantro?

You should be harvesting cilantro about once a week. If the plant is growing well, you can harvest more often. Either way, you'll need to harvest the cilantro at least once a week to help stave off bolting. After harvesting the cilantro, if you aren't able to cook with it immediately, you can freeze the cuttings until you're ready to cook with them.

How Do You Cut Cilantro?

When cutting the cilantro stem, make sure that you are using sharp, clean shears or scissors. Leave a few leaves on the intact stem so that the plant will still be able to generate food for itself. Now that you know how to harvest cilantro, you know that cilantro harvesting is easy and painless. Harvesting cilantro is an excellent way to have fresh herbs for your Mexican and Asian dishes as well as keeping your cilantro plants usable a little longer.

Heather Rhoades
Founder of Gardening Know How

Heather Rhoades founded Gardening Know How in 2007. She holds degrees from Cleveland State University and Northern Kentucky University. She is an avid gardener with a passion for community, and is a recipient of the Master Gardeners of Ohio Lifetime Achievement Award.