When to plant · 13 cities · zones 6b–7b
When to plant cilantro in Pennsylvania
Direct sow cilantro around Apr 13 — the Pennsylvania statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 27 across 1,833 ZIP codes and 179 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.
Pennsylvania cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 27, first fall frost Oct 20, 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 13 | May 28 | 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 Pennsylvania's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Pennsylvania, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphiazone 7b | Mar 30 | Mar 16 | Apr 30 |
| Pittsburghzone 6b | Apr 18 | Apr 4 | May 19 |
| Allentownzone 7a | Apr 20 | Apr 6 | May 21 |
| Readingzone 7a | Apr 14 | Mar 31 | May 15 |
| Eriezone 7a | Apr 26 | Apr 12 | May 27 |
| Bethlehemzone 7a | Apr 20 | Apr 6 | May 21 |
| Scrantonzone 6b | Apr 23 | Apr 9 | May 24 |
| Lancasterzone 7a | Apr 19 | Apr 5 | May 20 |
| Harrisburgzone 7a | Apr 15 | Apr 1 | May 16 |
| Yorkzone 7a | Apr 26 | Apr 12 | May 27 |
| Wilkes-Barrezone 7a | Apr 23 | Apr 9 | May 24 |
| Altoonazone 6b | Apr 25 | Apr 11 | May 26 |
| State Collegezone 6b | Apr 20 | Apr 6 | May 21 |
What these cilantro become
What Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Pennsylvania?
Direct sow around Apr 13 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 31 in the warmest tenth of Pennsylvania's ZIP codes to Apr 26 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 15 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Pennsylvania?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 27. In the warmest tenth of Pennsylvania's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 14; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 10.
When will Pennsylvania cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around May 28: 45 days from sow.
More for Pennsylvania
- 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 → · Pennsylvania frost dates → · How frost-date math works →