Coriander plant

Grumpycupple

First post so I would be grateful iff you were gentle with me. I have been given a coriander plant and as it's a herb I dislike to eat I was wondering if it could be planted out near flowers or shrubs that greenfly or other horrible insects like to deter them. :wave:

conradmum

No, not really. Despite you disliking the smell, pests aren't put off. If you plant it outside now a late frost will kill it, though, if that's any help.

Kay_Peel

You can plant out your coriander in the middle of June - and it will go crazy! It's one of those plants that 'bolts' when the sun shines - in other words it sends up tall flower stalks and sets seeds. Some people prefer the seeds to the leaves - that's where we get ground coriander from and it's much milder.

I was told that Coriander was a good 'companion' plant, and keeps aphids and bugs off nearby plants. Er..... yes indeed ....... I found that all the aphids made straight for the coriander and not for the roses. I'm not sure if that was meant to happen. :rotfl:

So, I'd say 'yes, put it in your border to fill a space' around the middle of June. You may as well, since it's not doing much for you as a kitchen crop.


:beer:

tim_n

corriander doesn't like its roots disturbed (usually just drops dead) - it's best to grow from seed in its final resting place imho.

Throw it in a curry.

Grumpycupple

Thankyou for all of your replys.


:T

Jake'sGran

tim_n wrote: »

corriander doesn't like its roots disturbed (usually just drops dead) - it's best to grow from seed in its final resting place imho.

Throw it in a curry.

I have grown a pot full of seeds and they germinated easily. If a few were teased out of the pot and put in the garden would they not like the move?, (I never touch the roots) .
They are for my son who is made about curries - and hot chillies to put in them too.

tim_n

Corriander is very fussy - I've never had any luck to be honest. You may be OK potting them as a whole, but don't try breaking the root clump apart. You'll also need to make sure it's hardened off properly or the sudden temperature change will make it drop dead. It's very sensitive. Stick it out in the morning till late afternoon for a couple of weeks before putting it out perminantly.

Tbh corriander does perfectly well on a pot on your windowsill.

Kay_Peel

I agree with Tim. Plonk the whole plant into the border - but wait until summer is well underway.

Grumpycupple

Seems it's thriving at the moment outside my door. If it lasts another week I will try to transpant it to the border.

:j Thanks

earthlysparky

I bought a few poorly looking pots of coriander from Tesco a few weeks ago. I gave them a good watering, a little bit of tomato food, hardened them off for a scant couple of days, then stuck them in the herb bed!

Essentially, I have done it all wrong but they seem to be happy! Admittedly, they did go pink for a while, but they are actually thriving!

Herb pots from supermarkets are notorious for not lasting long, I didn't harden them off for anywhere near long enough, i planted them out months too early, I live on the edge of the Peak District...and on top of all that, they have had to cope with ground frosts!

bigmuffins

Hi
Sorry to hear that you don't lilke coriander! I love it but each to their own! You can plant it out in the garden but best not to disturb the roots - just plant it as it is, at the same level. You may not like it but slugs and snails love the stuff so will need to protect it (or not ).

For those that do like it - coriander is easy to grow (but slugs/snails love it so best indoors or use pellets carefully)
Just lightly crush the whole dried seeds so they split in two - I put them in a bag and lightly roll with rolling pin. Then sow seeds where you want to grow them and keep well watered. Sow little and often is the best bet that way you can have some pretty much all year round.

Cheaper to use whole dried seeds from Indian grocery shop than buy specialist seed packets - only get a measly amount in the 'seed' packet and the dried seeds sold for cooking usually give excellent results - thats what we use all the time. We grow it pretty much year round and use it in loads of dishes.

Add it to curries, salads, fajitas, sprinkle on naan bread. Add chopped green coriander leaves to home made burgers or meatballs to name but a few uses.

Mint and coriander chutney
use handful of mint, handful of coriander, clove or two of garlic, salt and couple of green chillies and blitz in mini chopper or bash in mortar and pestle to make green chutney - eat as is or add to natural yoghurt to make milder dip.

Can freeze chopped coriander no problem - don't need to mess about with ice cube trays. Just wash, dry and chop and pack loosely into tupperware boxes. If is dry then doesn't freeze into a solid lump and can remove as much as you need.

Can also use the green seeds, if runs to seed - just crush in mortar and pestle and use in place of fresh or dried crushed/ground coriander. Still get lots of coriander taste and fragrance. I prefer to use green seeds as the smell and taste is stronger! If you want to you can also freeze the green seeds - and crush from frozen before adding to curries or dishes. Smells fantastic! Alternatively you can dry the seeds for later use.

I love the stuff!
HTH
:beer: