Grow Your Own Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley

Herbs are such an amazing addition to any garden, landscape, or patio. I love that they provide resources no matter whether you actually like to use them in a culinary sense or not. Being able to provide texture, food, and pollinator resources with just one plant is such an amazing thing. Cilantro, dill, and parsley are three of my favorite herbs that do just that.

Dill and parsley I keep growing mostly year round, and cilantro I focus on during the cool season here in Southeast Texas (Zone 9A). Let's take a deeper look at these herbs. 

Parsley vs Cilantro

At a glance, you might think these herbs are similar, but they carry subtle differences visually and drastically different flavors. Parsley is often characterized by thicker, pointy leaves, while cilantro is flat with a more rounded leaf structure. Cilantro is also a deeper green color than parsley, which is a bright greenish-yellow.

Parsley is characterized by a peppery taste along with a fresh grassy smell. Cilantro provides a more zesty taste and stronger aroma than that of parsley. While cilantro has grown on me personally, I usually see people either all in or all out when it comes to using this herb in a dish. 

Cilantro vs Coriander

Is there really a difference between cilantro and coriander? The answer is yes... and no. They are one and the same when it comes to the plant. Cilantro is the name for the leaves and stems, while coriander is the name for the seeds of the plant. Coriander provides a nice earthy flavor and is more mellow than cilantro. A lot of folks don't know they are one and the same plant—we see the confusion hit at our seed table when we pull down the coriander container to sell someone cilantro.

Parsley vs Italian Parsley

Traditional parsley is pointy, and the leaves grow curled. Traditional parsley is more mellow than that of the strong, robust Italian parsley. I find that Italian parsley is much more prominent in the home garden due to its stronger flavor and ease of washing. 

How to Grow Cilantro

Cilantro is a wonderful herb to grow in the cooler months in our area. Southeast Texas weather is unpredictable, so the growing season really varies. Cilantro “bolts”, or goes to seed, when soil temperatures reach 75 degrees. 

Should I plant cilantro by seed or plant?

Our preferred method of planting cilantro is by seed. This is because cilantro is a taproot plant, and they do no transplant very well. I like to plant these about ¼” deep. Plant them heavily with 1 to 2 seeds per inch if planting in a row. In a raised bed, I'll space my rows about 1’ apart, as the cilantro gets pretty large at maturity. Cilantro usually will germinate in 7 to 10 days and grow very quickly in good soil. Thinning isn't usually necessary if you are growing this herb to harvest fresh cilantro. If you are growing specifically for cilantro seeds (or coriander), thin the plants to about 3 to 4” apart. 

Cilantro Growing Tips

Daytime temps are typically still pretty warm most times of the year. Cilantro can be grown through spring but may require placement in light shade and should be mulched heavily for moisture. For cilantro plant care, again, remember your seasons and plant this herb in cool areas or cool conditions and harvest from it regularly. 

How to Harvest Cilantro

Harvesting cilantro is fairly simple. If growing for the leaves, cut them as needed. It's important to know that cilantro’s pungent flavor dissipates very quickly once cut. It's best to cut them right before use whether eating raw or cooking with a dish.

Cut the lower leaves when harvesting, leaving the top, newer foliage behind. If you are harvesting a large amount, you can simply cut off the tops with scissors or shears.

If growing for coriander seed, cut off the tops once the seed heads have turned brown. Let them continue to dry and drop into a tray. Collect them and store them in small quantities, separated from each other in the event of potential insect eggs being in the seed. Make sure they are completely dry if storing for culinary use or for long-term seed storage. Keep them in a temperature-controlled environment, completely air-tight. 

How to Grow Dill

What’s the dill with dill? Dill is such an amazing herb to plant out. While I see most home gardeners not interested in this herb much in my region, it should be grown for its amazing ability to attract the black swallowtail butterfly.

Should I plant dill by seed or plant?

Dill should be planted by seed as it does not respond to transplanting very well. Dill grows rather tall, so choose a spot that has a provided windbreak or use a stake or 3-ring tomato cage to support it. Plant your seeds ¼” deep and space them about 10" to 12” apart. After your seeds emerge, keep the soil moist and free from weeds. I recommend a nice layer of composted mulch, humus, or pine straw to achieve this. 

Dill Growing Tips

A good dill growing tip I like to recommend is for people who want to make dill pickles. Once the plant has formed flowers and made seeds, you can cut the top off with the green foliage. I place a whole flower head with leaves into the jar for dill pickles immediately after cutting. The seeds don't have to be fully mature to do this! I really prefer this over dried dill when making pickles.

Don’t forget to keep this plant staked up if you are worried about it falling over onto other plants in the garden or landscape. It's great to plant this in a pollinator garden as well due to its pollinator attraction benefits. 

How to Harvest Dill

So how do we harvest dill? That will depend on whether you are growing for fresh use or seed. You can harvest any of the green foliage up until the flower opens up at maturity. Just like cilantro, flavor degrades very quickly, so use it as fresh as possible. You can dry dill foliage by hanging it upside down in an open area, away from direct sunlight, but it will lose a good amount of its flavor.

If you want to harvest seeds, cut the flowers off just before the seeds ripen and turn a more light brown color. The heads can be hung upside down with a bag placed around the seed head to catch seeds as they dry and fall off. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation by poking holes in the bag, and keep it out of direct sunlight. Make sure the seeds are completely dry before storing them away. They tend to hold up in an airtight container for up to a year. 

How to Grow Parsley

Parsley, like it’s almost look-alike cilantro, is so easy to grow. It also provides a haven for the black swallowtail butterfly to lay eggs on, just like dill. 

When to Plant Parsley

Fall though spring is the best time to get parsley going in our area, Zone 9a. It prefers cooler temps, although I find if I provide it some shade and a heavy mulch layer, I can grow it further into the warmer seasons pretty well.

Should I plant parsley by seed or plant?

Parsley seeds can be directly sowed into beds or planted in small pots for transplanting. Unlike cilantro and dill, parsley tends to transplant fairly well. In my personal trials, flat Italian parsley seems to handle our climate much better than curled, but don't let that discourage you. Everyone’s garden area is different.

Plant seeds in beds ¼” deep and space them a couple inches apart. Once they have germinated, which can take up to a couple weeks, thin them to about 8” apart. 

Parsley Growing Tips

One of the best parsley growing tips I can give is to keep them constantly pruned or harvested. This allows the plant to branch out and continue to grow, eventually providing more harvestable stalks and leaves. I also recommend waiting to harvest stems until the parsley is at least 6" to 12” tall. 

How to Harvest Parsley

The best way to harvest parsley is to cut the older stems or leaves, leaving new stems/leaves to continue growing. Keep them crisp by storing them in the refrigerator with a decently high humidity. You can clip the leaves from the stem as needed and use fresh, or wash and let them dry completely before storing in an airtight container. 

Should You Let Parsley, Dill, and Cilantro Flower?

This is really dependent on what you want out of the plant. If you are growing for seed or for pollinators, absolutely let them flower. If you are growing for fresh leaves, keep theses plants cut to promote new growth and prevent them from flowering.

Once the plant flowers, it moves its focus from growing leaves to producing seeds. When this happens too quickly and before we want it to, it is known as “bolting”. If this happens and you are focused on growing leaves, pinch off the flower stalk at a lower leaf node. This will help redirect the herb's energy back to leaf growth. I like to prevent this with constant pruning, as sometimes bolting can change the flavor of a plant. 

The Best Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley Companion Plants

Each of these herbs acts as a companion plant to many other herbs and vegetables. Grow these together in the garden to create a supportive, diverse garden area. 

Cilantro Companion Plants:

Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, and Dill

Dill Companion Plants:

Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Coriander, Cucumber, and Tomatoes

Parsley Companion Plants:

Asparagus, Beets, Chives, Nasturtium, Rosemary, and Tomatoes

How to Store Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley

Personally, I recommend using these herbs fresh, which is great motivation to have them growing in the garden most of the year. If you are storing them fresh, first wash them gently before letting them dry completely on a paper towel or dish towel. Once they're dry, the stems can be placed in a jar of water and covered with a plastic bag before going in the refrigerator. You can store them in the veggie drawer of the refrigerator in a thin, open plastic bag, which allows plenty of humidity in for moisture, but the jar method works best long term for me.

There are a handful of methods out there for drying herb leaves for dry storage. While these methods provide long-term storage options, they don't preserve the strong flavor of fresh cut herbs. 

Growing these in your own space will take some trial and error to find the right spot, quantity, and practices. I hope this gives you some quick insight on how to get started planting herbs for your kitchen garden or pollinator garden today! 

David Pool of Mid County Edible Landscaping

David has managed and owned his family business, Mid-County Farm & Feed Supply, for almost 20 years. When he realized his store had become the go-to place for gardeners seeking knowledge and honest answers, David decided he wanted to bring his knowledge and love for gardening to his customers' own homes.

A self-taught gardener, David is always seeking new avenues for learning. His favorite part of gardening is sharing those teachings with others so that they may be successful too.

Follow David on Instagram to learn more about gardening in Southeast Texas.

Photo credits belong to Gardenary and David.