When to plant · 9 cities · zones 8b–9b
When to plant cilantro in Louisiana
Direct sow cilantro around Feb 14 — the Louisiana statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Feb 28 across 539 ZIP codes and 102 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.
Louisiana cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Feb 28, first fall frost Nov 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 | Feb 14 | Mar 31 | 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 Louisiana's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Louisiana, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleanszone 9b | Jan 22 | Jan 8 | Feb 22 |
| Baton Rougezone 9a | Feb 25 | Feb 11 | Mar 28 |
| Shreveportzone 8b | Mar 6 | Feb 20 | Apr 6 |
| Lafayettezone 9a | Feb 26 | Feb 12 | Mar 29 |
| Lake Charleszone 9a | Feb 14 | Jan 31 | Mar 17 |
| Kennerzone 9b | Jan 30 | Jan 16 | Mar 2 |
| Bossier Cityzone 8b | Mar 6 | Feb 20 | Apr 6 |
| Monroezone 8b | Mar 8 | Feb 22 | Apr 8 |
| Alexandriazone 9a | Mar 3 | Feb 17 | Apr 3 |
What these cilantro become
What Louisiana 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 Louisiana: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Louisiana?
Direct sow around Feb 14 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Jan 20 in the warmest tenth of Louisiana's ZIP codes to Mar 2 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Mar 21 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Louisiana?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Feb 28. In the warmest tenth of Louisiana's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Feb 3; in the coldest tenth, on or after Mar 16.
When will Louisiana cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Mar 31: 45 days from sow.
More for Louisiana
- 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 → · Louisiana frost dates → · How frost-date math works →