When to plant · 22 cities · zones 5b–7a
When to plant cilantro in Colorado
Direct sow cilantro around Apr 23 — the Colorado statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of May 7 across 493 ZIP codes and 190 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.
Colorado cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost May 7, first fall frost Oct 6, 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 | Apr 23 | Jun 7 | 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 Colorado's ZIP codes resolve to; 34 of 527 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.
Cilantro in Colorado, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denverzone 6a | May 4 | Apr 20 | Jun 4 |
| Colorado Springszone 6a | May 3 | Apr 19 | Jun 3 |
| Aurorazone 6a | May 5 | Apr 21 | Jun 5 |
| Fort Collinszone 5b | May 3 | Apr 19 | Jun 3 |
| Lakewoodzone 6a | May 3 | Apr 19 | Jun 3 |
| Thorntonzone 6a | May 2 | Apr 18 | Jun 2 |
| Arvadazone 6a | May 5 | Apr 21 | Jun 5 |
| Westminsterzone 6a | May 2 | Apr 18 | Jun 2 |
| Greeleyzone 5b | May 2 | Apr 18 | Jun 2 |
| Pueblozone 6a | Apr 26 | Apr 12 | May 27 |
| Centennialzone 6a | May 5 | Apr 21 | Jun 5 |
| Boulderzone 6a | May 6 | Apr 22 | Jun 6 |
| Longmontzone 5b | May 7 | Apr 23 | Jun 7 |
| Castle Rockzone 5b | May 9 | Apr 25 | Jun 9 |
| Lovelandzone 5b | May 3 | Apr 19 | Jun 3 |
| Broomfieldzone 6a | May 2 | Apr 18 | Jun 2 |
| Grand Junctionzone 7a | Apr 28 | Apr 14 | May 29 |
| Commerce Cityzone 6a | May 3 | Apr 19 | Jun 3 |
| Parkerzone 5b | May 9 | Apr 25 | Jun 9 |
| Littletonzone 6a | May 2 | Apr 18 | Jun 2 |
| Brightonzone 5b | May 3 | Apr 19 | Jun 3 |
| Windsorzone 5b | May 3 | Apr 19 | Jun 3 |
What these cilantro become
What Colorado 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.
Paid links. We earn a commission from Amazon if you buy; you pay the same. Disclosure.
Cilantro in Colorado: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Colorado?
Direct sow around Apr 23 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 16 in the warmest tenth of Colorado's ZIP codes to May 23 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 21 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Colorado?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is May 7. In the warmest tenth of Colorado's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 30; in the coldest tenth, on or after Jun 6.
When will Colorado cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Jun 7: 45 days from sow.
More for Colorado
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant basil
- When to plant onions
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Cilantro in every state → · Colorado frost dates → · How frost-date math works →