Is My Cilantro Ready to Harvest

Question

I have been growing cilantro for close to a month now in a long window box-type planter outside on my porch. It has grown significantly in the past 2 weeks and has the leaves that I am familiar with when using cilantro. I want to know if it is ready to harvest yet. I see the cilantro leaves, but near the bottom of the plant I can still see the long green leaves that it has when it first starts growing, which I do not see on bundles of cilantro when I’ve bought them at the store.

Is it not quite ready to be harvested yet? Or are those long leaves picked off when the cilantro is harvested to be sold in stores? I have them planted close together in the window box so it’s hard to see how tall they are, but they appear to be between 4-5″ tall as of now. This is the first time I’ve grown it on my own and want to harvest and preserve it before it goes to seed. A friend told me to wait about another week or two. Does that sound about right? I can smell the familiar cilantro fragrance right now, but it’s not as pungent as I’m familiar with when you get store bought cilantro. What do you suggest?

Answer 1

This article should be of some help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/cilantro/how-to-harvest-cilantro.htm