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When to plant · 79 cities · zones 9a–11a

When to plant cilantro in Florida

Direct sow cilantro around Jan 16 — the Florida statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Jan 30 across 843 ZIP codes and 135 NOAA stations.

Jan 16Direct sowJan 3 – Feb 18 across the state
Jan 30Last spring frostmedian · 1 in 10 years after Feb 28
Mar 2First harvest45 days from sow

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.

Build a plan from your ZIP →Florida frost dates by city →

Florida cilantro, by step

Statewide median last frost Jan 30, first fall frost Jan 8 (next winter), 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.

CultivarStart indoorsSowFirst harvestDays
CilantroSlow Bolt (Coriandrum sativum)Direct sowJan 16Mar 245 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 Florida's ZIP codes resolve to; 170 of 1,013 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.

Cilantro in Florida, city by city

Cilantro, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.

CityLast frostSowFirst harvest
Jacksonvillezone 9bFeb 1Jan 18Mar 4
Miamizone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Tampazone 10aJan 20Jan 6Feb 20
Orlandozone 10aJan 25Jan 11Feb 25
St. Petersburgzone 10bJan 17Jan 3Feb 17
Port St. Luciezone 10aJan 23Jan 9Feb 23
Hialeahzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Cape Coralzone 10bJan 16Jan 2Feb 16
Tallahasseezone 9aMar 11Feb 25Apr 11
Fort Lauderdalezone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Pembroke Pineszone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Hollywoodzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Gainesvillezone 9aMar 3Feb 17Apr 3
Miramarzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Palm Bayzone 10aJan 20Jan 6Feb 20
Coral Springszone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
West Palm Beachzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Lakelandzone 9bJan 26Jan 12Feb 26
Pompano Beachzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Clearwaterzone 10aJan 17Jan 3Feb 17
Miami Gardenszone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Daviezone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Palm Coastzone 9bJan 24Jan 10Feb 24
Boca Ratonzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Plantationzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Deltonazone 9bJan 26Jan 12Feb 26
Sunrisezone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Fort Myerszone 10bJan 16Jan 2Feb 16
North Portzone 10aJan 25Jan 11Feb 25
Deerfield Beachzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Melbournezone 10aJan 24Jan 10Feb 24
Daytona Beachzone 9bJan 30Jan 16Mar 2
Homesteadzone 11aJan 18Jan 4Feb 18
Kissimmeezone 10aJan 28Jan 14Feb 28
Doralzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Miami Beachzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Boynton Beachzone 10bJan 22Jan 8Feb 22
Largozone 10aJan 17Jan 3Feb 17
Lauderhillzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Tamaraczone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
St. Cloudzone 10aJan 28Jan 14Feb 28
Westonzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Ocalazone 9aFeb 25Feb 11Mar 28
Delray Beachzone 11aJan 22Jan 8Feb 22
Sanfordzone 9bJan 24Jan 10Feb 24
Port Orangezone 10aJan 30Jan 16Mar 2
Palm Beach Gardenszone 10bJan 21Jan 7Feb 21
Wellingtonzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Jupiterzone 10bJan 26Jan 12Feb 26
Apopkazone 9bFeb 24Feb 10Mar 27
North Miamizone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Margatezone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Winter Havenzone 10aJan 16Jan 2Feb 16
Coconut Creekzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Bradentonzone 10aJan 16Jan 2Feb 16
Sarasotazone 10aJan 15Jan 1Feb 15
Bonita Springszone 10bJan 17Jan 3Feb 17
Pensacolazone 9aFeb 14Jan 31Mar 17
Pinellas Parkzone 10aJan 17Jan 3Feb 17
Ocoeezone 10aJan 17Jan 3Feb 17
Clermontzone 9bJan 29Jan 15Mar 1
Fort Piercezone 10aJan 22Jan 8Feb 22
Coral Gableszone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Titusvillezone 10aJan 25Jan 11Feb 25
Winter Gardenzone 9bJan 29Jan 15Mar 1
Altamonte Springszone 10aJan 17Jan 3Feb 17
North Lauderdalezone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Cutler Bayzone 11aJan 18Jan 4Feb 18
Oakland Parkzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
North Miami Beachzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
DeLandzone 9bFeb 17Feb 3Mar 20
Greenacreszone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Ormond Beachzone 9bJan 30Jan 16Mar 2
Lake Worth Beachzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Plant Cityzone 9bJan 30Jan 16Mar 2
Hallandale Beachzone 11afrost rareJan 1Feb 15
Haines Cityzone 10aJan 16Jan 2Feb 16
Royal Palm Beachzone 10bfrost rareJan 17Mar 3
Oviedozone 10aJan 24Jan 10Feb 24

What these cilantro become

Salsa VerdeBlistered tomatillos, serrano, and a fistful of cilantro. Naturally acidic, ready in forty minutes, and it clings to a taco because tomatillos bring their own pectin.Recipe and process →Green ZhougYemeni cilantro-and-serrano relish, raw, ready in fifteen minutes, and violently green. The fastest thing on this site and arguably the most addictive.Recipe and process →

What Florida cilantro need

SeedsThe cultivar decides the sauce. Everything downstream is damage control.

  • 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.

    Amazon · paid link ↗
StartSoil temperature and light intensity, indoors, weeks before your frost date.

  • 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.

    Amazon · paid link ↗
GrowRoot volume, nutrition and structure. Where most home crops actually fail.

  • 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.

    Amazon · paid link ↗

  • 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.

    Amazon · paid link ↗
ProtectFrost, hornworms, aphids, and the fungal pressure that follows a wet July.

  • 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.

    Amazon · paid link ↗
HarvestTiming, handling, and weighing what you actually got.

  • 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.

    Amazon · paid link ↗

Paid links. We earn a commission from Amazon if you buy; you pay the same. Disclosure.

Cilantro in Florida: questions

When should I plant cilantro in Florida?

Direct sow around Jan 16 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Jan 3 in the warmest tenth of Florida's ZIP codes to Feb 18 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Feb 28 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.

When is the last frost in Florida?

The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Jan 30. In the warmest tenth of Florida's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Jan 17; in the coldest tenth, on or after Mar 4.

When will Florida cilantro be ready to harvest?

Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Mar 2: 45 days from sow.

More for Florida

Cilantro in every state → · Florida frost dates → · How frost-date math works →