When to plant cilantro / coriander in San Jose
Cilantro / Coriander is cold-hardy, so every date keys off San Jose's frost dates of Feb 12.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Dec 25 – Jan 15
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Feb 8 – Mar 5
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Aug 18 – Sep 1
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Oct 9 – Nov 3
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
45 – 70 d
San Jose's 294-day season leaves this much room.
Cilantro / Coriander on San Jose's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
FEB 12
DEC 3
Common questions
When can I sow cilantro / coriander outdoors in San Jose?
Direct-sow around late December (Dec 25–Jan 15) in San Jose, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
When will cilantro / coriander be ready to harvest in San Jose?
Expect to harvest from around early February (Feb 8–Mar 5) in San Jose, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 74%.
Can I plant cilantro / coriander in autumn in San Jose?
Yes — San Jose supports a second, autumn sowing of cilantro / coriander around mid August (Aug 18–Sep 1), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in San Jose?
San Jose has roughly 294 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow cilantro / coriander to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow cilantro / coriander as soon as the soil is workable — it tolerates cool weather and light frost. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and San Jose's frost dates.
Confidence 82/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.