There is some good news this time. As shown in the photo above, I sowed these coriander seeds in mid-winter - 25 June in the subtropical zone of Australia - and, being cold, it took 14 days to germinate. This batch was ready for harvest in early September, with lush green leaves, denser than past crops. For the first time, I am able to take my time to harvest coriander as I need it - I use it less than once a week, so it is important to me to have a long harvesting period.
They had the first flowering stalk appearing a few days ago (beginning of October). They are not, however, "bolting" as such, though. The thinner leaves, that appear as a sign of flowers coming up, grow slowly and only needs picking every three days. I am sure as the weather warms up, I need to be prepared to see them flower soon. I am still happy with the rest of the edible leaves.
What made this crop of coriander last longer? I think there are a few factors:
- It was planted in cooler season. In the subtropical, winter is a great time to plant many leaf crops, with less disease present and no burning danger in the sun.
- These coriander was sowed/planted in between peas and Chinese green, which grow much faster that formed a protection around the coriander seedlings. It was not until the coriander was fully grown that it was able to receive hotter sun. The lower part of the plants are still behind a forest of the Chinese cabbage in the morning, and behind the peas in the afternoon, which means cooler temperature around the root zone.
Now I happened to have this luck of growing coriander, I will surely try similar means in the future for my next sowing!
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