Fall / Winter · Beginner · Phoenix / East Valley, AZ
Phoenix's cool season is made for cilantro, parsley, and dill. These herbs hate our summer heat and bolt almost immediately in warm weather, but from October through February they thrive, self-seed, and produce abundantly with very little effort.
If you grow nothing else in your fall garden, grow cilantro. Plant it once, let it go to seed in spring, and it will come back on its own every fall for years. It's practically a self-renewing garden resource.
Cilantro is one of Phoenix's best fall crops. It germinates quickly in warm fall soil, grows prolifically through winter, and tolerates our occasional cold snaps with minimal damage.
Direct sow from September through November. Earlier September planting gives the longest harvest window. Succession planting every 3–4 weeks extends your supply.
Crush the seed hulls slightly before planting (each "seed" is actually two seeds stuck together — crushing improves germination). Sow thickly, about 1/4 inch deep. Thin to 4–6 inches apart. Water regularly until established, then water every 2–3 days in cool weather.
Harvest outer leaves regularly. Once the weather warms in February and March, cilantro bolts — it sends up a flower stalk. Let it go to seed (the seeds are the spice "coriander"). When seeds turn brown and dry, shake the plant over your garden bed or a container. Next fall, you'll have volunteer cilantro sprout on its own. This is one of the great self-perpetuating garden gifts.
Parsley is slower than cilantro (2–3 weeks to germinate) but produces abundantly all winter and into spring. It's a biennial — it produces leaves in its first year and flowers in its second. In Phoenix, it typically acts as an annual because our summer heat kills it, but a fall planting will give you leaves all the way through spring.
Parsley seeds can be slow to germinate — soaking seeds in warm water for 24 hours before planting helps. Start in September for a November harvest, or transplant nursery seedlings for faster results. Space plants 8–12 inches apart. Harvest by cutting outer stems at the base, leaving the center to continue growing.
Dill is one of the easiest herbs to grow in Phoenix's cool season. Direct sow in October, and you'll have feathery dill fronds ready in 6–8 weeks. It has a brief productive window before bolting in warm spring weather, so plant it and enjoy it while it lasts.