How to grow coriander from seed in the UK
Updated: 21 October 2026
You want coriander leaves from a British garden, a pot or a windowsill, and the plants often flower before a proper picking. Coriander is an annual. Hot, dry weather pushes it to bolt, and a grocery bag of dhania is an unreliable sowing packet. How to grow coriander from seed in the UK starts with a small sowing and a packet that names a variety. The shop table is the [coriander seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/coriander-seeds). Peter F. used the RHS and Gardeners' World for the figures below. There was no germination trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You want coriander leaves from a British garden, a pot or a windowsill, and the plants often flower before a proper picking. Coriander is an annual.
You want coriander leaves from a British garden, a pot or a windowsill, and the plants often flower before a proper picking. Coriander is an annual. Hot, dry weather pushes it to bolt, and a grocery bag of dhania is an unreliable sowing packet. How to grow coriander from seed in the UK starts with a small sowing and a packet that names a variety. The shop table is the coriander seeds comparison. Peter F. used the RHS and Gardeners' World for the figures below. There was no germination trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Intended use | Stated pack | Sowing on the listing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Rajah Rajah Dhaniya 2 × 50 g | Cooking | 100 g | Not a sowing packet | 9.2 | about £1.20 | View offer |
| Best value |  Natco Natco coriander seeds 300 g | Cooking | 300 g | Not a sowing packet | 7.6 | about £3.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Just Seed Just Seed Coriander Green Aroma | Sowing | 2000 seeds | Outdoor use, full sun | 7.8 | about £3.25 | View offer |
On this page
Sow for leaves or for seed
Decide which crop you are growing, because the RHS treats them differently. For leaves, sow small batches from spring and keep sowing. For a seed crop you want a long, warm season in full sun so the plant can flower and set fruit. Once it bolts, the leaf harvest is over.
The RHS says outdoor sowings can start in spring, and leaf harvests can begin in as little as 10 weeks. That figure is the guide, not a stopwatch from a cold May. Gardeners' World suggests a short row every two weeks or so. Emptying a 2000-seed packet into one tray means the plants flower together, or fail together. Just Seed states 2000 seeds, outdoor use and full sun. Indoors, poor light makes plants pale, and a closed room can smell.
Depth, spacing and the tap root
Gardeners' World says set the seed about 1 cm deep, space rows about 30 cm apart, and thin to about 25 cm. Germination is often 7 to 20 days. Those numbers are that guide, not a promise for old spice-jar seed. A gentle crush before sowing is a tip for true seed. It is not evidence that a Rajah pouch will sprout if you crack it.
Coriander makes a tap root and dislikes being pricked out. Sow where it will grow, or use a small pot you can plant intact. Crowded plants dry out faster and bolt. Thick sowing is for microgreens, which some Just Seed reviewers cut young. Slugs are the outdoor pest the RHS tells you to plan for. If seedlings vanish overnight, look for slime first.
Heat, pots and bolting
Bolting is the usual end of a leaf crop, and dry compost is the usual trigger. The RHS says plants bolt in hot, dry weather, and faster in pots. Water before the pot is dusty. In a hot British spell, give midday shade if leaves are the crop, even when the listing says full sun for a seed crop.
Calypso, described by Gardeners' World as British-bred, and Slobolt, listed by the RHS, are named slow-bolt cultivars. Neither name is on the grocery ASINs here, and neither is the Just Seed title. Green Aroma is what you buy with B0084CABVO. Cut without taking the growing point if you want cut-and-come-again. A tall central stalk means that plant is done as a leaf crop.
Spice packet or Just Seed
Do not treat a Rajah or TRS bag as a germination packet. Those listings are whole spice. A high star line says the fruit smelled good when someone crushed it. It does not say the embryo is alive. Some grocery sowings sprout and some do not.
Just Seed is the packet sold to sow, at about £3.25, with 4.0 from 102 reviews. Notes include strong-tasting leaves and failed sowings. One counted rate is about 6 percent, beside a pack date before April 2021. Sow a short row, keep it moist, and keep the rest cool and dry. If nothing shows after the 7 to 20 days Gardeners' World allows, sow another small batch or buy a fresher named packet.
Common questions
When do I sow coriander in the UK?
Sow outdoors from spring, in small batches, if you want leaves. The RHS puts leaf harvests at as little as 10 weeks from sowing. Gardeners' World suggests a repeat sowing about every two weeks. One early sowing will not cover a hot July.
How deep, and how far apart?
Gardeners' World says about 1 cm deep, rows about 30 cm apart, and thinning to about 25 cm. Germination is often 7 to 20 days in that guide. Sow in the final spot or in a small pot you will not break up, because the tap root resents pricking out. Those spacings are for leaf plants.
Why did it flower so fast?
Heat and drought push coriander to bolt, and pots dry out faster than a border. The RHS is plain about that. Water before the compost is dusty, and give midday shade in a hot spell if leaves are the crop. A slow-bolt name such as Calypso or Slobolt is a specific cultivar. It is not printed on the grocery bags in this set.
Will a Rajah or TRS bag grow?
Do not count on it. Those bags are culinary whole seed. Some sowings of grocery coriander sprout and some do not. A star rating for flavour is not a germination test. If leaves are the job, use a sowing packet, and in this comparison that packet is Just Seed.
Can I keep it on a windowsill?
Yes, with limits the RHS states. Poor light makes the plants pale, and a closed room can smell. Just Seed's own listing says outdoor use and full sun, while some reviewers still grew microgreens and a kitchen pot. Cut young if the light is weak.
Is Green Aroma a slow-bolt variety?
The listing name is Coriander Green Aroma. Calypso and Slobolt are different cultivar names, from Gardeners' World and the RHS, and they are not on this listing. Buy Green Aroma as Green Aroma. If you need a named slow-bolt type, the packet has to say so.
Should I sow all 2000 seeds at once?
No. Two thousand seeds is succession, not one tray. A single sowing flowers together, and a poor batch fails together. One review counted about 6 percent germination on a pack dated before April 2021. That is one anecdote. Sow a short row and keep the rest for the next fortnight.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these twelve listings were taken from those listings. Page updated 21 October 2026.
- RHS, How to grow coriander (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World, How to grow coriander (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Seed Marketing Regulations 2011, Schedule 1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK allergen labelling (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- CAP Code section 15, food claims (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Spice Mart Soil Association schedule, licence DA30091 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- The Guardian, Ask Ottolenghi, 4 May 2024 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Food, coriander seeds (retrieved 19 October 2026)