Growing Coriander in Australia: The Complete Guide
Coriander is an easy (bolts fast) annual herb to grow, needing full–part sun with consistent watering.
Coriander is one of the easy (bolts fast) additions to a home garden, and this article walks through everything behind our one-page printable guide in a bit more depth.
Bolts fast in heat
Coriander runs to seed quickly once the weather warms — succession sow every couple of weeks through the cooler months for a continuous leaf supply.
Planting Coriander
Method — direct sow; dislikes root disturbance from transplanting. Soil — rich, moisture-retentive. Timing — sow through the cooler months for leaf; a warm-season sowing is best left to go to seed for coriander seed.
Day-to-Day Care
The key things to get right:
- Keep soil consistently moist to delay bolting.
- Succession sow every 2–3 weeks.
- Harvest outer leaves regularly.
- Let some plants flower and seed if you want coriander seed too.
What Can Go Wrong
A few things matter most here:
- Bolting — the main challenge; grow in cooler months and keep well watered.
- Aphids — hose off.
- Slugs and snails — target seedlings; use barriers.
- Powdery mildew — humid, crowded conditions; space well.
Picking and Keeping Your Harvest
Signs — leaves reach usable size, before flower stalks appear. Method — cut outer leaves or the whole plant. Curing — none needed for leaf; let seed heads dry fully on the plant for coriander seed. Storage — fresh leaf: fridge a few days. Dried seed: airtight, a year or more.
That's the full picture behind coriander. The printable A4 version of this guide — with the quick-reference gauges and diagram in one page — is available on the main guide page below.