This month I’ll be preparing my Fort Worth garden for the onslaught of a Texas summer. Time to settle things in with a little extra mulch and make sure the water systems are working.
With temperatures rising my herbs are also preparing for hot weather. As the thermometer goes up, so does the central flower stalk on my cilantro. Leaf production stops as it bolts and sets seed. It’s one of several cool climate plants in the herb garden that won’t survive the coming 100 degree plus weather. Caraway, chervil, and even catnip can show similar behavior.
This bolting is a source of frustration for southern gardeners. Why can’t they keep their cilantro alive? In hot climates, cilantro needs to be treated like a two-season annual. The first season is late February through June. Cilantro produces flavorful leaves during the cooler spring days and then sets seed and dies. By the Fourth of July the remains of the cilantro plant should be pulled up and discarded.
But that’s not the end of the story. Around Labor Day, gardeners in warm areas will plant a second crop of this spicy herb. As temperatures cool, these new cilantro plants will grow happily until winter frost ends production.
If you enjoy herbs and organic gardening, you'll want to meet Ann McCormick,
the Herb 'n Cowgirl. A life-long gardener, she has spent the last ten years
devoted to writing and speaking about her favorite subject. Ann contributes
to regional and national home and garden and life-style magazines, including
Organic Gardening, Country Woman, Gardening How-To, and Neil Sperry¹s
Gardens. The Herb 'n Cowgirl also shares her love of herbs and her gardening
techniques as a speaker and media guest. To find out more about the Herb 'n
Cowgirl visit her website at www.ann-mccormick.com.
