Full sun. They are fine now but you can harvest out some as the pot gets crowded - great trick in the garden for the things that came in a little to thickly.

FataMorgana

They have grown large and the top leaves look very different - with thinner branches. Are these top leaves edible?

IMO: They are not crowded at all.

FULL SUN: is not well defined. I have been growing just about any common garden veggies in the past and right now with about 5 -6 hours of sun. I am sure a couple hours more could be better. Not very many plants like 12 hours or more of sun at over 90F for days in and days our(like in the south).Some gardener even shade some of their plants.

Back to cilantros: It is a cool crop and like most cool crops it can thrive with just a few hours of direct sunlight a day. ACTUALLY, in warmer temperatures, they survive better in the shady spots .

Posted by seysonn 7 WA (My Page) on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 16:05

Thank you so much. My question is:

They have grown large and the top leaves look very different - with thinner branches. Are these top leaves edible?

The larger top leaves with the ruffled edges are the edible ones. The oval narrow first leaves are actually part of the seed--the cotyledon leaf. The narrow leaves are edible too, but its the ruffly ones that is really cilantro.

Coriander/cilantro (same thing) does like full sun, but it abhors heat. Around here, when the daytime temps reach about 75 degrees, the coriander bolts very quickly. If you grow in a deep container outdoors, you can delay that somewhat by moving the container to a cooler location. But you can't stop it completely from happening.

If you let a few plants set seed, your cilantro will self-sow and you won't have to reseed it. if you are growing it for the coriander seeds, simply leave a few clusters. We have it growing in a deep container on the deck for many years and we haven't needed any seeds for almost that long. New seedlings appear on their own all season long and then again the following spring. The trick is to use a deep container

To me the purpose of planting cilantro is to harvest and eat them. So with a container or even a small patch, I will harvest them before they have a chance to grow for seeds. Even in the seed growth stage,(before flowering), you can harvest and eat them(use it in salsa etc). Unless you like them to flower and grow seeds.

Don't forget the seeds are a spice and taste 100 times better than any store bought ones

Well, once the plants start to bolt, (and at this time of year, they seem to bolt almost overnight around here) you can't really use the leaves anymore as an herb. Too many off-flavors. I'm just saying that instead of pulling up all those bolted plants and buying more seeds, just leave them alone to set seeds and you'll get plenty of new seedlings.

And as 'margowicz' said, the dried 'seeds' - they are actually fruits - are useful in themselves. They have a completely different flavor profile than the leaves do.

Thank you so much.

I cut the stems all together. Washed them and used them for a stir-fry with corned beef. It was pretty good. The stems are tender too.

I am not sure if the remaining bases can grow new stems or not.

I am not sure if the remaining bases can grow new stems or not
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Sure, they will grow back but will soon tend to bolt again. But this way you get better mileage. hehe

I've got mine potted too, and about the same number as yours here jujujojo.

They've grown a little larger than yours, but now I'm facing the issue with the leaves all starting to fade. I've tried some direct sunshine and tried leaving them in the cooler shade but neither seems to have made a difference.

Meanwhile the mint in an identical, adjacent pot is growing like crazy, What's going on?!

It's good to read more about this herb because I'm never lucky with it- I am growing it in INDIRECT sunlight here in ny and it's still bolting. Go figure...

Cilantro has a deep taproot while mint is a shallow rooted lateral creeper. Pot culture stunts cilantro root growth and subsequently affects the vigor of the plant and can be manifested as pale and sickly leaves. In contrast mint can thrive in a pot.

Posted by seysonn 7 WA (My Page) on Thu, Jun 27, 13 at 3:30

Thank you so much. They leafed out nicely again, yummy.

Posted by chervil2 z5 MA (My Page) on Wed, Jul 3, 13 at 12:32

I do not grow mint. The mint plant is wild. I tried the mint tea but it is not my cup of tea =)

This post was edited by jujujojo on Tue, Jul 9, 13 at 13:28

Mmm - is this a joke? Or is there a linguistic hiccup? Pot culture means growing something IN a pot. Not growing marijuana.

Nb 'Cup' of tea.

Surva55:

Bolting with cilantro is a function of temperature - light level is secondary. It will bolt even in indirect light when it gets hot.

If bolting could be prevented by lower light levels, we'd just move our potted ones into the shade and keep them growing. Unfortunately, that doesn't work - it still bolts in hot weather.

Posted by florauk none (My Page) on Mon, Jul 8, 13 at 13:02

I meant to issue a joke. I tried the mint tea. I placed too many leaves in the tea and it tastes like a mint vegetable soup. It was not successful =) ... hence, "not my cup of tea".

OK - it was the pot joke that I wasn't clear about. And you wrote cuT of tea - that's why I replied cuP.

Juju--If you like mint tea, but didn't like the one you have, you should consider trying a different kind. I personally favor apple mint, as it is much milder and more subtle. Spearmint or peppermint are just way too astringent to me, and I don't even like the commercially available mint teas, but I adore making my own with apple mint.

Posted by florauk none (My Page) on Tue, Jul 9, 13 at 10:14

Thank you so much for pointing this out. I have corrected the typo and trimmed the joke. It is both a joke and a linguistic hiccup =)

Posted by balloonflower CO 5b (My Page) on Tue, Jul 9, 13 at 13:14

Thank you so much for the suggestion. It could be that I placed too many leaves in the tea pot. I will try apple mint soon.

A colleague of mine is growing an orange mint, and he swears by the tea from those leaves.

Posted by soraystud MA (My Page) on Thu, Jul 11, 13 at 8:43

What is "swears by the tea from those leaves"? Do you mean that he promises it is an orange mint?

Sorry, now that I read what I wrote that does seem like a haphazard sentence.

I meant to say, he makes tea with the orange mint that he is growing, and he loves the taste.

Posted by soraystud MA (My Page) on Fri, Jul 12, 13 at 11:05

How do you compare apple and orange mints, pot culture master?