When to plant · 26 cities · zones 6a–10a
When to plant cilantro in Arizona
Direct sow cilantro around Feb 4 — the Arizona statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Feb 18 across 413 ZIP codes and 148 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.
Arizona cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Feb 18, first fall frost Dec 1, 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 | Feb 4 | Mar 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 Arizona's ZIP codes resolve to; 3 of 416 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.
Cilantro in Arizona, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenixzone 9b | Jan 8 | Dec 25 | Feb 8 |
| Tucsonzone 9b | Feb 5 | Jan 22 | Mar 8 |
| Mesazone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 18 | Mar 4 |
| Gilbertzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 18 | Mar 4 |
| Chandlerzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 18 | Mar 4 |
| Glendalezone 9b | Jan 20 | Jan 6 | Feb 20 |
| Scottsdalezone 10a | Jan 27 | Jan 13 | Feb 27 |
| Peoriazone 9b | Feb 5 | Jan 22 | Mar 8 |
| Tempezone 10a | Feb 13 | Jan 30 | Mar 16 |
| Surprisezone 9b | Feb 5 | Jan 22 | Mar 8 |
| Goodyearzone 9b | Jan 7 | Dec 24 | Feb 7 |
| Buckeyezone 9b | Jan 7 | Dec 24 | Feb 7 |
| Yumazone 10a | frost rare | Jan 17 | Mar 3 |
| Avondalezone 9b | Jan 7 | Dec 24 | Feb 7 |
| Queen Creekzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 18 | Mar 4 |
| Flagstaffzone 6a | Jun 4 | May 21 | Jul 5 |
| Maricopazone 9a | Feb 23 | Feb 9 | Mar 26 |
| Casa Grandezone 9a | Feb 5 | Jan 22 | Mar 8 |
| Maranazone 9b | Apr 2 | Mar 19 | May 3 |
| Lake Havasu Cityzone 10a | Jan 5 | Dec 22 | Feb 5 |
| Prescott Valleyzone 7b | Apr 30 | Apr 16 | May 31 |
| Oro Valleyzone 9a | Apr 2 | Mar 19 | May 3 |
| Prescottzone 7b | Apr 30 | Apr 16 | May 31 |
| Sierra Vistazone 8b | Apr 18 | Apr 4 | May 19 |
| Apache Junctionzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 18 | Mar 4 |
| Bullhead Cityzone 10a | Jan 4 | Dec 21 | Feb 4 |
What these cilantro become
What Arizona 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 Arizona: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Arizona?
Direct sow around Feb 4 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Dec 24 in the warmest tenth of Arizona's ZIP codes to May 1 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Mar 11 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Arizona?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Feb 18. In the warmest tenth of Arizona's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Jan 7; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 15.
When will Arizona cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Mar 21: 45 days from sow.
More for Arizona
- 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 → · Arizona frost dates → · How frost-date math works →