When to plant · 17 cities · zones 7a–8b
When to plant cilantro in Virginia
Direct sow cilantro around Mar 28 — the Virginia statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 11 across 892 ZIP codes and 143 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.
Virginia cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 11, first fall frost Oct 30, 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 | Mar 28 | May 12 | 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 Virginia's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Virginia, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beachzone 8b | Mar 29 | Mar 15 | Apr 29 |
| Chesapeakezone 8a | Mar 23 | Mar 9 | Apr 23 |
| Richmondzone 7b | Apr 3 | Mar 20 | May 4 |
| Norfolkzone 8b | Mar 17 | Mar 3 | Apr 17 |
| Newport Newszone 8a | Apr 1 | Mar 18 | May 2 |
| Alexandriazone 8a | Mar 24 | Mar 10 | Apr 24 |
| Hamptonzone 8b | Mar 24 | Mar 10 | Apr 24 |
| Suffolkzone 8a | Mar 27 | Mar 13 | Apr 27 |
| Roanokezone 7b | Apr 3 | Mar 20 | May 4 |
| Portsmouthzone 8b | Mar 23 | Mar 9 | Apr 23 |
| Lynchburgzone 7b | Apr 17 | Apr 3 | May 18 |
| Harrisonburgzone 7a | Apr 21 | Apr 7 | May 22 |
| Leesburgzone 7b | Apr 16 | Apr 2 | May 17 |
| Blacksburgzone 7a | Apr 24 | Apr 10 | May 25 |
| Charlottesvillezone 7b | Apr 2 | Mar 19 | May 3 |
| Manassaszone 7a | Apr 12 | Mar 29 | May 13 |
| Danvillezone 7b | Apr 8 | Mar 25 | May 9 |
What these cilantro become
What Virginia 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 Virginia: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Virginia?
Direct sow around Mar 28 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 16 in the warmest tenth of Virginia's ZIP codes to Apr 12 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 29 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Virginia?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 11. In the warmest tenth of Virginia's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 30; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 26.
When will Virginia cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around May 12: 45 days from sow.
More for Virginia
- 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 → · Virginia frost dates → · How frost-date math works →