Coriander has become a bit of a thing with me. Fresh coriander leaf is that extra thing that transforms a good curry into a special curry. We get through quite a lot of bought coriander, and sometimes end up wasting it as it doesn't keep long in the fridge once picked. So we would love to have our own fresh supply from the garden to pick at will.
Last year I had limited success. As always it quickly went to seed. I want to grow for leaf rather than seed. I'm relying on keeping my plants well watered in a rich soil mixture and doing later sowings as well. Last year a couple of stray plants on the plot lasted well into November, much to my surprise. Despite the association with warm climate curries the plant seems to prefer lower temperatures.
The thing about coriander seed is that you always get two for one - as you can see from the pictures above. Each seed is two seeds bundled together inside a coarse husk. Perhaps this is the reason some people recommend bruising the seeds before sowing.
I've never tried this before - but here goes:
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| Partially ground seed |
(I just hope the're not F1 hybrids!)
And it looks as if the supermarket growers don't bother about preparing their seeds. As you can see they're coming up in twos.
