When to plant · 20 cities · zones 7a–7b
When to plant cilantro in New Jersey
Direct sow cilantro around Apr 1 — the New Jersey statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 15 across 604 ZIP codes and 58 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.
New Jersey cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 15, first fall frost Oct 28, 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 New Jersey's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in New Jersey, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newarkzone 7b | Apr 4 | Mar 21 | May 5 |
| Jersey Cityzone 7b | Apr 4 | Mar 21 | May 5 |
| Patersonzone 7a | Apr 15 | Apr 1 | May 16 |
| Elizabethzone 7b | Apr 2 | Mar 19 | May 3 |
| Trentonzone 7a | Apr 17 | Apr 3 | May 18 |
| Cliftonzone 7a | Apr 15 | Apr 1 | May 16 |
| Bayonnezone 7b | Apr 2 | Mar 19 | May 3 |
| East Orangezone 7a | Apr 4 | Mar 21 | May 5 |
| Camdenzone 7b | Mar 30 | Mar 16 | Apr 30 |
| Passaiczone 7b | Apr 3 | Mar 20 | May 4 |
| Union Cityzone 7b | Mar 30 | Mar 16 | Apr 30 |
| Vinelandzone 7a | Apr 24 | Apr 10 | May 25 |
| Hobokenzone 7b | Mar 30 | Mar 16 | Apr 30 |
| New Brunswickzone 7a | Apr 15 | Apr 1 | May 16 |
| Perth Amboyzone 7b | Apr 15 | Apr 1 | May 16 |
| Plainfieldzone 7a | Apr 11 | Mar 28 | May 12 |
| West New Yorkzone 7b | Mar 30 | Mar 16 | Apr 30 |
| Sayrevillezone 7a | Apr 15 | Apr 1 | May 16 |
| Hackensackzone 7b | Apr 3 | Mar 20 | May 4 |
| Lindenzone 7b | Apr 11 | Mar 28 | May 12 |
What these cilantro become
What New Jersey 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 New Jersey: questions
When should I plant cilantro in New Jersey?
Direct sow around Apr 1 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 19 in the warmest tenth of New Jersey's ZIP codes to Apr 11 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 1 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in New Jersey?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 15. In the warmest tenth of New Jersey's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 2; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 25.
When will New Jersey cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around May 16: 45 days from sow.
More for New Jersey
- 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 → · New Jersey frost dates → · How frost-date math works →