When to plant · 11 cities · zones 8a–9a
When to plant cilantro in Alabama
Direct sow cilantro around Mar 7 — the Alabama statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Mar 21 across 656 ZIP codes and 126 NOAA stations.
The rule: Direct sow in 60–70 °F soil, a short row every two weeks from four weeks before the last frost until the heat arrives, then again from late summer.
Alabama cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Mar 21, first fall frost Nov 10, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Cultivar | Start indoors | Sow | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CilantroSlow Bolt (Coriandrum sativum) | Direct sow | Mar 7 | Apr 21 | 45 from sow |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Alabama's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Alabama, city by city
Cilantro, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.
| City | Last frost | Sow | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsvillezone 8a | Mar 24 | Mar 10 | Apr 24 |
| Mobilezone 9a | Feb 21 | Feb 7 | Mar 24 |
| Birminghamzone 8a | Mar 21 | Mar 7 | Apr 21 |
| Montgomeryzone 8b | Mar 4 | Feb 18 | Apr 4 |
| Tuscaloosazone 8b | Mar 18 | Mar 4 | Apr 18 |
| Hooverzone 8a | Mar 19 | Mar 5 | Apr 19 |
| Auburnzone 8b | Mar 13 | Feb 27 | Apr 13 |
| Dothanzone 9a | Mar 1 | Feb 15 | Apr 1 |
| Madisonzone 8a | Mar 24 | Mar 10 | Apr 24 |
| Decaturzone 8a | Mar 26 | Mar 12 | Apr 26 |
| Florencezone 8a | Mar 27 | Mar 13 | Apr 27 |
What these cilantro become
What Alabama cilantro need
Cilantro / Coriander Seed
Bolts in a heartbeat and there is nothing you can do about it — so you succession-sow instead of fighting it. Non-negotiable in salsa verde and zhoug.
Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have
Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.
Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have
Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.
5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack
Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.
AG-30 Frost Protection Row Cover
AG-30 buys roughly 6 °F of frost protection while passing about 70% of light — enough to carry a crop through an early-October cold snap that would otherwise end your season two weeks short.
6" Micro-Tip Pruning SnipsMust have
Ninety percent of sauce-garden cutting is snipping a pepper stem or a basil node, and a fine-tipped snip does it better than any pruner. Pulling peppers by hand tears the branch.
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Cilantro in Alabama: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Alabama?
Direct sow around Mar 7 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Feb 18 in the warmest tenth of Alabama's ZIP codes to Mar 21 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 9 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Alabama?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Mar 21. In the warmest tenth of Alabama's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 4; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 4.
When will Alabama cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Apr 21: 45 days from sow.
More for Alabama
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant basil
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Cilantro in every state → · Alabama frost dates → · How frost-date math works →