Sowing coriander

Coriander greens will brighten any garden or vegetable garden. But this is not why coriander is so prized. It is widely used in culinary and medicinal purposes. This extraordinary plant will be discussed in our article.

Sowing coriander: plant description

Sowing coriander: plant photo

Coriander seed, also known as cilantro, belongs to the celery family. This is an annual herb 20-30 cm high with a thin fusiform root system, penetrating up to 1.5 m deep. The stem is straight, round, glabrous, branched in the upper part. The inflorescences form a complex umbel with two to five rays.

Basal leaves are long-petiolate, three-lobed, serrated along the edges with incisions, upper sessile leaves, divided into segments. The flowers are small, pink or white, flowering from June to July, the fruits ripen in August.

The smell is very attractive to bees, so cilantro is considered a honey plant. Fruits of a two-seed, round, 2-5 mm. Unripe fruits have a very specific smell. Whereas ripe fruits smell just amazing, which attracts all chefs and culinary specialists.

The genus coriander seed occurs naturally in two types. In the wild - in the southern part of Europe, on the Mediterranean coast, in Russia - in the European part or in the Far East. The second type is which we grow in our garden. It is believed that this plant comes from the Mediterranean coast, from where it was ubiquitous.

In everyday life, we are used to using the name cilantro, and only seeds are called coriander seed. The history of cilantro goes back to ancient Egypt. Its seeds were found in tombs of the 10th century BC. NS. In Russia, traces of the appearance of coriander were found only in the 16th century.

In general, the plant was originally introduced into cultivation as a medicinal herb (in Egypt, Romania, Morocco, India, Japan, China, North America). We have long been considered a weed plant.

Sowing coriander: application and useful properties

Sowing coriander: plant photo

Now the field of application of coriander seed is very wide. Essential oils are made from it, grains and the greens themselves are used in cooking. Also used for medicinal purposes. For this, ripe coriander fruits are harvested.

It is used as a bitterness to increase appetite, has antispasmodic, carminative and laxative effects. They also use not only fruits, but all plants and even whole inflorescences.

A decoction of seed coriander has an antiseptic, choleretic, expectorant, analgesic effect. Also used for hemorrhoids and for quick wound healing. Coriander fruits contain 2.5% essential oil. And in the leaves - vitamin C, B1, B2, carotene, rutin. By the way, chewing coriander seeds has an antiseptic effect.

Every chef is familiar with all the wonderful qualities of coriander. He is able to decorate any dish with his taste and aroma. Greens and fruits of cilantro are used as a seasoning for meat, fish, vegetable dishes.

Coriander fruits are used as a natural flavoring agent in bakery products (crispbreads, buns, rusks, crackers). It has also proven itself well in the manufacture of sausages and even wine.

Also, essential oil of coriander seed is used in perfumery and cosmetic industries.

How to grow coriander seed?

Sowing coriander: photo 

Coriander seed is considered a rather unpretentious plant. It can be grown everywhere: in the beds, on the balcony, on the windowsill.Regardless of the place of sowing, coriander grows very successfully.

Coriander seed does not tolerate acidic heavy soil. Fragrant herbs such as parsley, dill, fennel, celery are poor precursors for coriander. Better to put in place zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage.

The soil is prepared in the fall, dug up, fertilized, then in the spring again, if the soil is very heavy, depleted, superphosphate can be added. Clayy soil that easily forms a crust is also not suitable. On such a soil, seedlings will not sprout seeds.

We choose a well-lit place. Although cilantro is rather unpretentious and drought-resistant, it nevertheless requires moisture at the beginning of growth.

The plant is frost-resistant, the seeds are planted in early spring, they will survive temperatures up to + 6o. You can pre-soak the seeds in warm water for better germination. Then dry and sow in open ground to a depth of 1.5-2 cm.

The germination of coriander seed is quite fast, after a week. As it grows, it is recommended to thin out the beds so that about 6 cm remains between the plants. It is necessary to constantly remove weeds, loosen the soil after watering to prevent crusting.

Coriander has a life cycle of approximately 2.5-3 months. Therefore, in order to always have fresh greens, it is sown every two weeks. From coriander, like from other greens, they make a harvest for the winter, simply drying the collected leaves in the shade. It is recommended to store in paper envelopes.

Do not dry in direct sunlight. This will lose the aroma and flavor of the coriander. Fruits ripen unevenly, therefore, it is necessary to start harvesting at 30-40% of ripeness. A few plants should be left untouched, they will be the seed for the next year.

You need to collect the fruits of the coriander seed until the stalk dries, then hold it under a canopy for a week and thresh it. During flowering, coriander leaves become coarse, losing a little their unique taste and aroma. Therefore, if you do not have a goal to collect the fruits, then you can cut them off and continue to use them as greens.

Conclusion

Coriander greens are an excellent ornamental plant in your garden. Beautiful, rich green colors will brighten your garden beds. In July-August, beautiful inflorescences of pink-white flowers appear. This plant has an amazing smell that spreads throughout the garden. And even the round coriander fruits that appear in place of flowers look spectacular.