When to plant · 5 cities · zones 6b–7a
When to plant cilantro in Kentucky
Direct sow cilantro around Apr 1 — the Kentucky statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 15 across 742 ZIP codes and 123 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.
Kentucky cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 15, first fall frost Oct 25, 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 1 | May 16 | 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 Kentucky's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Kentucky, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisvillezone 7a | Apr 3 | Mar 20 | May 4 |
| Lexingtonzone 7a | Apr 13 | Mar 30 | May 14 |
| Bowling Greenzone 7a | Apr 5 | Mar 22 | May 6 |
| Owensborozone 7a | Apr 2 | Mar 19 | May 3 |
| Covingtonzone 6b | Apr 16 | Apr 2 | May 17 |
What these cilantro become
What Kentucky 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 Kentucky: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Kentucky?
Direct sow around Apr 1 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 20 in the warmest tenth of Kentucky's ZIP codes to Apr 10 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 2 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Kentucky?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 15. In the warmest tenth of Kentucky's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 3; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 24.
When will Kentucky cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around May 16: 45 days from sow.
More for Kentucky
- 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 → · Kentucky frost dates → · How frost-date math works →