When to plant · 1 city · zone 8a
When to plant cilantro in Washington, DC
Direct sow cilantro around Mar 10 — the Washington, DC district-wide median, counted from a last spring frost of Mar 24 across 57 ZIP codes and 3 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.
Washington, DC cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Mar 24, first fall frost Nov 18, 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 10 | Apr 24 | 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 Washington, DC's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Washington, DC, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washingtonzone 8a | Mar 29 | Mar 15 | Apr 29 |
What these cilantro become
What Washington, DC 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 Washington, DC: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Washington, DC?
Direct sow around Mar 10 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 10 in the warmest tenth of Washington, DC's ZIP codes to Mar 26 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 6 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Washington, DC?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Mar 24. In the warmest tenth of Washington, DC's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 24; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 9.
When will Washington, DC cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Apr 24: 45 days from sow.
More for Washington, DC
- 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 → · Washington, DC frost dates → · How frost-date math works →