[whitespirit66]

I have some coriander seeds (can't remember variety) that I have grown, but the variety is not a good one. The plants are thin and weedy, and offer a small amount of leaves to pick, before quickly going to seed. They are not terribly hardy either.

A pub that I regularly frequent has a coriander plant growing in a pot on the patio. It is large and bushy, and looks like it could supply my coriander needs for weeks. It has been there for weeks, and looks healthy without any signs of goinf to seed.

Can anyone recommend a variety of Coriander like this?

[zazen999]

Yup.

There are two types, one called Coriander [stay with me here] and one called Cilantro or Leaf Coriander. The first goes to seed really quickly and the second doesn't.

To stop the first going to seed, pick it every few days whether you are going to use it or not.

[whitespirit66]

Thanks.

I might like to have a go at the Cilantro. How long does one of these plants last? Are the seeds easy to get?

[zazen999]

Well, they take a couple of weeks to come up and will last until the frosts if you keep cutting them back.

Easy to get? Depends on where you look Garden centres have them....

[Lardman]

Despite my earlier failures with coriander I think I have it sorted now

I bought Coriandrum sativum from moles (they were silly money) and it produces a goodly amount of leaf and I haven't had a pot run to seed yet. I keep 3 flower buckets full in rotation each cut gives me about 200g.

It really is nothing like the rubbish the supermarkets sell.

[barbarella]

Coriander is terrible for going to seed but I have some self-seeded coriander coming up between my rows of potatoes and it is really good and leafy.  I usually start it off in modules which I plant out and I think that tends to make coriander go to seed more quickly so I will sow some direct next time. 

[compostqueen]

I grow mine much like is described above, spindly and hardly any leaf and then goes straight to seed.  It says it's cilantro on the packet

I  bought some really bush thick stuff from the  deli so I know there's some good stuff out there. Just wish I could get my hands on some.  It looked more like celery than coriander.

[Jabberwock]

After years of having dodgy germination or spindly rubbishy coriander, this year I think I've finally cracked it  .
The variety I'm growing is called "Leisure" it appears not to run to seed too quickly and I am inundated with coriander leaves (not complaining though  :happy:).
I think my biggest problem was always trying to grow it like the ones you buy in the supermarket ie, chuck a load in a small pot and grow intensively, whereas this year I have sown some directly in the soil and also 2 or 3 per large pot (at least 12 inch deep because apparently the roots are quite long) once the seedlings come up I nip out the weakest and leave just 1 plant growing in the pot and it really seems to have made all the difference. 
The plants are incredibly bushy and apparently can grow quite tall (up to 90cm).

[barbarella]

Thanks for that Jabberwock.  I have checked on google and you can get Coriander Leisure from Sarah Raven Organic and Kings Seeds - it is cheaper from the latter.  I will definitely try them.

[Jabberwock]

Just had a wee look for my seed packet and they came from D T Brown, they are only 99p and free postage too 
http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/catalogue/product/herbs-coriander-leisure/16803/
Hope this helps

[barbarella]

Just had a wee look for my seed packet and they came from D T Brown, they are only 99p and free postage too 
http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/catalogue/product/herbs-coriander-leisure/16803/
Hope this helps

I just placed an order - the free postage is brilliant when you only want one packet isn't it ?  Many thanks

[barbarella]

Right - now I've got my seeds but it says 'sow April-May'.  Is it okay to sow them later I wonder as I don't to wait until next year?

[compostqueen]

Me too!  I got myself a packet. We'll sow them and be damned 

[Lardman]

I'll be sowing another pot this weekend as I'm running low  Take no notice of what it says on the packet - what do the suppliers know anyway   

[compostqueen]

Hope it works with parsnips anorl