Cilantro

I grew up on TexMex.  I would put Cilantro (Coriandrum Sativum) in almost everything, if only I could grow it more regularly.  Now that the night time temperatures are dropping, my cilantro is really starting to shine.  The plant in the top of the upside down tomato planter is the oldest and is going gangbusters.  It is thriving from the nutrients for the tomato.  I planted a bunch of seeds in very loose orchid type mix I created for the top of one of the fence post pots.  These are the very happiest seedlings.  As compared to the seeds I started several months earlier in regular potting soil.

Culantro (eryngium foetidum) - Grow Your Own article
Starting seed:  "Start your seeds in spaghnum peat moss rather than soil. Put the seeds on top of the soil, keep it moist, give it light, & you will have culantro coming out of your ears. Germination will begin in 2 weeks with fresh seeds and up to a month with older. As they grow, you can pull them out with your fingers or a popsicle stick to separate them. They are supposed to be difficult to transplant, but I have not had problems at any age. It should take about 70 days to maturity. The younger leaves are used for cooking, the older leaves are too tough. Personally, I would not cut off the flower stalks, or at least leave a few on, as that is where your next supply of seeds will come from. You should get at least 100 seedlings per plant if you do not cut off the stalks. The flower head is a green cluster of seeds. When they seed heads turn brown, they are ripe"

Our Culantro is doing OK.  Not fabulous, but OK.  It is growing in a shady garden between 2 oaks that has very pine bark amended soil.  I've been letting it go to seed; would like for it to go "wild" and self seed.  I've saved some seed lately, and am going to start it and plant it in a pot over in the NE garden.  See if it likes it better over there.

Vietnamese/Asian Cilantro (persicaria odorata)  "The Vietnamese coriander is a perennial plant that grows best in tropical and subtropical zones in warm and damp conditions."  Heat loving cilantro taste?  I want ...

Papalo/Quilquiña - (porophyllum ruderale ssp. macrocephalum) "a fabulous ancient Mexican herb that predates the Chinese introduction of cilantro ... complex, distinctive flavor - like cilantro on steroids!"  - must learn more about this

The variety 'Santo' Cilantro is suppose to be slower to bolt, and will last as leafs longer in Central FL into spring.