Cilantro holds a special place in many cuisines, but for home gardeners, this popular herb often brings more headaches than happiness. Between its tendency to bolt quickly and its finicky growing requirements, cilantro can test even the most patient gardener’s resolve.
I really tried to love growing cilantro. But between the constant bolting and that polarizing flavor, I started wondering why I kept giving it garden space. My herb garden should bring joy, not frustration!
Fortunately, there are plenty of herbs and leafy greens that offer better returns on your gardening investment. These alternatives not only grow more reliably but might actually suit your cooking style better in the long run.
1. Bolts Faster Than Usain Jamaican Sprinter
One minute you’re admiring your cilantro seedlings, the next they’ve shot up flower stalks and turned bitter. This premature bolting happens because cilantro naturally has a short life cycle, especially in warm weather.
Even with perfect care, you’ll get maybe three weeks of usable leaves before it decides to reproduce. Most herbs give months of harvest, but cilantro seems determined to flower as quickly as possible.
Try growing parsley instead. This cousin to cilantro offers similar brightness in cooking but remains leafy and productive for an entire season, sometimes even overwintering in milder climates.
2. Genetic Soap Flavor For Some Unlucky Folks
Roughly 4-14% of people have a genetic variation that makes cilantro taste like soap or metal. Imagine spending weeks nurturing a plant that makes your dinner guests grimace!
This isn’t a matter of acquired taste—it’s hardwired in DNA. The culprits are specific aldehydes in cilantro that some people’s olfactory receptors detect differently than others.
Consider growing Thai basil as an alternative. It provides a similar aromatic punch in many Asian dishes without the divisive taste profile, and everyone at your table can enjoy it without genetic discrimination.
3. Demanding Water Requirements
Keeping cilantro properly hydrated feels like walking a tightrope. Too little water? It bolts. Too much? Root rot sets in. The perfect moisture balance changes daily based on temperature and humidity.
Most home gardeners don’t have time for plants with such high-maintenance hydration needs. Even experienced gardeners struggle to keep cilantro happy throughout its already short growing season.
Swap in oregano, which thrives with minimal fuss. This Mediterranean herb actually prefers drying out between waterings and will forgive you for forgetting it exists for a week or two.
4. Poor Heat Tolerance Makes Summer Growing Impossible
When summer temperatures climb above 80°F, cilantro throws in the towel. The plant immediately shifts into survival mode, abandoning leaf production for seed development, leaving you with spindly, bitter stems.
This heat sensitivity severely limits growing seasons in most of the United States. Just when tomato salsa season arrives, your cilantro has already given up!
Plant Vietnamese coriander instead. This tropical perennial loves the heat that makes cilantro bolt, and it delivers a similar citrusy-cilantro flavor that holds up beautifully in summer dishes when you need it most.
5. Shallow Root System Requires Constant Attention
The wimpy root system on cilantro means it dries out quickly and topples over at the slightest breeze. These shallow roots also make transplanting nearly impossible without shocking the plant into—you guessed it—more bolting.
Many gardeners find themselves constantly fussing with cilantro’s fragile structure. A weekend away from watering often means returning to a cilantro cemetery.
Try growing rosemary as a sturdy alternative. Its deep root system anchors the plant firmly, requires less frequent watering, and develops into a beautiful perennial that can live for years with minimal attention.
6. Pest Magnet That Attracts Unwanted Visitors
Aphids, leafhoppers, and mites seem to have cilantro at the top of their favorite foods list. The tender leaves make an irresistible buffet for these garden pests, often requiring intervention with organic sprays or constant vigilance.
When pests attack cilantro, they move fast, sometimes destroying the plant in days. The short growing cycle doesn’t give plants much time to recover from even minor infestations.
Plant chives instead. Their natural sulfur compounds repel many common garden pests, making them practically maintenance-free. As a bonus, their pretty purple flowers attract beneficial pollinators rather than problematic insects.
7. Deceptively Difficult To Start From Seed
Cilantro seeds (coriander) need specific conditions to germinate properly. They require darkness, consistent moisture, and cool temperatures—a combination that’s tricky to maintain for home gardeners.
Many seeds fail to sprout or take weeks longer than expected. When they finally do emerge, the seedlings are fragile and prone to damping off, a fungal disease that kills young plants.
Mint makes a fantastic alternative for beginning gardeners. The seeds germinate readily in various conditions, and once established, you’ll have almost too much mint—it grows so eagerly you’ll be sharing with neighbors all season.
8. Short Harvest Window Equals Poor Value
From seed to bolting, cilantro gives you maybe 3-4 weeks of usable leaves. That brief harvest window makes it one of the poorest values in the vegetable garden considering the space and attention it demands.
Other herbs and greens offer months of continuous harvesting. When calculating garden efficiency, cilantro consistently ranks at the bottom for yield per square foot and time invested.
Replace it with perennial thyme, which provides years of harvests from the same plant. The woody stems can be picked regularly without harming growth, and the plant gets more productive with each season rather than quickly fizzling out.
9. Doesn’t Play Well With Companion Plants
Most herbs make excellent garden companions, but cilantro is surprisingly antisocial. It competes aggressively for nutrients and can actually inhibit the growth of nearby plants through chemical compounds released by its roots.
This allelopathic tendency means cilantro requires its own dedicated space. In small gardens, this isolation requirement makes cilantro even less practical compared to more neighborly herbs.
Swap in sweet marjoram, which enhances the growth of many vegetables and other herbs. This Mediterranean herb actually improves soil quality and attracts beneficial insects that help your entire garden thrive.
10. Disappointing Yield For The Effort Required
After all the special attention cilantro demands, the actual harvest is underwhelming. Its delicate leaves don’t weigh much, and you need substantial quantities for most recipes that call for it.
Frequent harvesting also seems to accelerate bolting. Many gardeners find themselves babying plants for weeks only to harvest a few sprigs before the plant decides it’s done producing.
Grow arugula instead for a more rewarding experience. This peppery green provides abundant harvests within 30 days of planting and continues producing for months with proper care. One small patch yields enough for multiple salads per week.
11. Doesn’t Preserve Well For Future Use
Unlike many herbs that retain flavor when dried or frozen, cilantro becomes virtually flavorless when preserved. The volatile compounds that give it that distinctive taste simply don’t survive storage methods.
This preservation problem means you can’t save your harvest for later use. During the brief window when your plants are productive, you’ll likely have more than you need—followed by months of having none at all.
Try growing dill instead. It dries beautifully, retaining much of its flavor, and can be frozen in oil for months of use. The feathery leaves and seeds can both be preserved, giving you multiple harvest products from one plant.
12. Requires Succession Planting For Consistent Supply
Maintaining a steady cilantro supply means planting new seeds every 2-3 weeks throughout the growing season. This constant replanting creates an ongoing chore that many gardeners eventually abandon out of frustration.
Each new planting faces the same challenges as the last: fussy germination, rapid bolting, and pest vulnerability. The repetitive cycle quickly becomes tiresome, especially when other garden tasks demand attention.
Plant perennial sorrel for a set-it-and-forget-it alternative. This lemony-flavored green returns year after year, providing fresh leaves from early spring through late fall with zero replanting required.
13. Flavor Deteriorates Rapidly After Harvest
Even when you successfully grow cilantro, the clock starts ticking immediately after harvest. Those freshly cut stems lose flavor within days, even when properly stored in the refrigerator.
The quick deterioration means you can’t harvest in bulk when the plant is doing well. Many gardeners find themselves making special trips to the garden for each recipe requiring cilantro, adding inconvenience to an already demanding plant.
Consider growing savory instead. This underappreciated herb maintains its robust flavor for over a week after cutting and can be dried successfully for long-term storage without significant flavor loss.
14. Not Worth The Garden Space It Occupies
Garden real estate is valuable, especially in small spaces. Cilantro demands prime conditions—partial shade in hot climates, rich soil, and consistent moisture—yet delivers minimal returns on this investment.
The same square footage could produce multiple harvests of other crops during the time one cilantro plant completes its brief life cycle. Smart gardeners eventually realize they’re sacrificing too much potential production.
Use that space for versatile basil instead. This sun-loving herb produces abundantly all season, works in countless recipes, and comes in dozens of varieties with different flavor profiles to keep your culinary adventures interesting.
15. Store-Bought Is Practically Identical To Homegrown
Unlike tomatoes or strawberries, where homegrown varieties vastly outperform store options, cilantro tastes essentially the same whether from your garden or the supermarket. The flavor compounds don’t develop significantly based on growing conditions.
This taste similarity makes the effort of growing cilantro questionable. When store-bought bunches cost just a dollar or two and offer identical flavor, the weeks of careful attention seem pointless.
Grow lemon verbena instead—something truly special that’s rarely found in stores. Its intense citrus aroma and flavor are incomparable to anything commercially available, making it a genuine garden treasure worth your time and space.
16. Requires Too Much Garden Babysitting
Some plants thrive on neglect, but cilantro demands helicopter parenting. Between its specific temperature, water, and light requirements, growing cilantro successfully feels like a part-time job.
Most gardeners eventually ask themselves if the constant monitoring is worth it. When vacation time rolls around, cilantro is usually the first plant to suffer from your absence, often beyond recovery.
Plant lemon balm as a carefree alternative. This mint relative practically grows itself, tolerates drought once established, and bounces back quickly from neglect. Even after complete abandonment, it typically returns the following spring with renewed vigor.