I guess it's what you're used to, but the term 'cilantro' is never used in Australia, so it's 'coriander' or 'coriander seeds'. Doesn't get much easier than that, IMO. To reply to the OP, you can't stop the plant from doing what it does naturally. Once it has decided to go to seed, beginning with the changing of the leaves, no power on earth or in heaven is going to reverse the process. As FataMorgana has said (and it has been said umpteen times before on this forum) - it's a short-lived annual. In hot climates, its life-span from seed (embryo) to seed (making embryos) can be as short as 2 weeks. The answer is successive sowing to keep up a supply. Eventually you will have a little patch of plants in various stages of maturity, ensuring a continual supply of leaves - and seeds. There's nothing to stop you from eating a plant which has bolted. The taste will be somewhat coarse, however. Entire plant is edible. Use fresh leaves and stems in salads and many Asian foods, in stews and sauces. Seeds are used whole or ground in dried in cakes, puddings and confectionery, sauces and meat dishes. Roots are pounded with garlic in Thai food, or dried and powdered for use as a seasoning. Use the stems in soups and with beans. The flowers can be added to salads.

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Islay -- those sound delicious. I love avocado. Pricey here, unfortunately. Sleevendog, so do you think it is the same variety? I have "Siam Queen" seeds, but I also think that is the name of the Thai Basil plants I've bought at nurseries and at W-m store. One of my neighbors just planted a pretty raised bed kit (I helped her). It is up on a cement terrace, away from marauding rabbits and woodchucks. She filled it with alternating layers of potting mix and bagged manure. It's been watered regularly, and the plants are packed in there (3' Sq box). Jeepers! I bet that anything will take off in that stuff. My soil is LEAN. I compost, but haven't added it to my garden beds for a while. My "garden" was (I didn't know when I dug it) an extra leech field or something. But the house was built in the woods on a slope and the excavator (I could ring his neck, but he's no longer with us), pushed the nice woodland top soil onto an adjacent parcel (that he bought <g>) and so the house lot/yard were pretty much gravel fill. There were piles of pond excavated "loam" here and there when we moved. A smart fellow with a small dozer spread the loam around for us, but it was not screened and there was only enough to give about 4" of topsoil. So I added feed bags full of horse manure, peat, forest soil and house/garden compost and leaves and clippings over the years. It must have helped because I at least have some worms in the soil and the structure is better than gravel <wan smirk>. But we are in the woods, so our place gets a lot of shade throughout the day. Nice for staying cool, but most plants want more light. I've planted cilantro roots from the store and as well as the ends of green onions. I've even planted punky Asian Shallots. A red onion too. The cilantro didn't work very well, too woody. Your idea to keep planting is it good. I'm short on space. I think I'm going to try to find a way to ELEVATE raised bed kits off the ground away from woodchucks and rabbits. To TEXAS new comer to thread: I have never tried jicama or fish tacos, but they sound delicious. (I've I've got the wrong thread, ignore. I have to work between mobile phone, PC and too much to do.)

Transplanting cilantro usually will cause it to bolt, not my idea of a good time. Things to avoid are dense packed earth and rotting media. I would not bother germinating in pot or indoors. Take a handful of fresh seeds and throw them onto raked earth and then water. Coriander likes heat and moisture to germinate. It loves loose soil, and will grow much more vigorously if its root can comfortably grow. It loves full sun, but will bolt if too hot. Once your cilantro bolts and drops seeds, you are likely to have cilantro in that spot for years to come.