Herb · Apiaceae
Caraway
Carum carvi
A low rosette of feathery leaves in year one, then tall flowering stems and brown ripe seed in year two.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
50–77°F · 10–25°C
70–90 days
Overview
Caraway is a hardy biennial in the carrot family, grown for the warm, faintly anise-scented seed that ends up in rye bread, cheese, and long-simmered dishes. Look at it the first season and you'll find only a low rosette of soft, feathery leaves hugging the ground, the flowering stems still a year off. Underneath sits a thick, parsnip-like taproot that drives straight down, and that fat root is exactly why the plant sulks if you try to move it once it has dug in.
The nickname Persian cumin sticks to it, but this is a plant in its own right, Carum carvi, with its own fragrance in leaf and seed. It grows easily across the cool gardens of USDA zones 4 to 9, asking for not much more than full sun, steady moisture while the slow seed creeps up, and the patience to let that first leafy rosette take its time before the flowers and brown-ripening seed arrive.
Care
The short version: full sun, fertile well-drained soil leaning toward neutral, and even moisture while the slow seed germinates, then a patient first year of feathery rosette growth before the seed crop ripens in year two.
Light
Caraway wants full sun to push out a good seed crop, though it will scrape by in partial sun. The more direct light those leaves catch, the sturdier the flowering stems and the fuller the harvest when year two arrives.
Water
Hold the soil evenly moist and well drained, never sodden. The seedbed especially has to stay damp all the way through the slow germination, since an early dry spell is the fastest way to lose your stand before it even shows. Once seedlings are up, water every 3 to 7 days, tuning it to the heat and the rain.
Soil
Set caraway in fertile, well-drained loam packed with organic matter. It likes things close to neutral, around pH 6.0 to 7.5, and a deep, loose bed gives that long taproot room to plunge straight down without forking.
Temperature
This is a cool-temperate herb, content between roughly 50°F and 77°F (10°C to 25°C). It shrugs off the cold of zones 4 to 9, holding through winter as a flat rosette before it blooms the next year.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity of 40% to 60% suits caraway just fine, so it's not a number to chase. Air moving freely around the feathery foliage counts for more than whatever a gauge reads.
Feeding
Caraway is a light feeder, so a little balanced fertilizer or some compost in spring during active growth is all it asks. Hold back on nitrogen, which only pushes soft, leafy growth at the cost of the seed you're growing it for.
Pruning
Not much happens here. Cut away the spent flower and seed heads once you've harvested, deadhead if you'd rather it didn't self-seed everywhere, and step carefully around the central taproot crown so you don't jostle it loose.
Repotting
Caraway hardly ever needs repotting and resents root disturbance, so sow it straight into its final spot instead of moving it later. If you must grow it in a pot, pick a deep one and leave that taproot whole.
Size & spacing
The plant climbs to 12 to 30 inches (30 to 75 cm) once the flowering stems shoot up in year two. Leave each one about 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) of space so air slips through and the low rosettes don't jostle for room.
When to plant
Caraway keeps a two-year clock, so settle in for the long stretch. Direct sow in spring the moment the soil can be worked, or steal a head start in early fall. The first year it does nothing showy but build its feathery rosette, then it sends up flowering stems in late spring of the second year and ripens its brown seed by mid to late summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Direct sow in spring as soon as soil can be worked, or in early fall.
- Harvest: Blooms late spring to early summer of the second year; harvest seeds when they turn brown in mid to late summer of year two.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Caraway is an easygoing herb, and the few problems it does run into tend to sit either underground in the taproot or right at the start as patchy, slow germination. Match what you're seeing to the cases below and act early, while it still changes the outcome.
Stunted plants with rusty tunnels in the taproot
Lift one of these stalled plants and split the root, and you'll find the signature of carrot root fly: winding rust-colored tunnels bored through the flesh, often with small white maggots tucked inside. The larvae chew the taproot and the whole plant goes slack above ground. Pull and destroy anything infested, drape row cover over the survivors right from sowing, and shift your Apiaceae crops to a clean bed each season so the flies lose the scent.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infested plants
- Use floating row covers from sowing
- Rotate Apiaceae crops to a new bed each year
Few or very slow seedlings after sowing
Caraway seed is slow off the mark, so a thin, gappy stand of seedlings usually points to a seedbed that dried out before the seed could break, or to seed that was simply too old. Two to three weeks along you might count only a few scattered sprouts even where the soil is warm. Hold the bed evenly damp until they emerge, keep the surface from baking into a crust, and resow shallow with fresh seed if the first sowing comes up short.
Fix:
- Keep the seedbed consistently moist until germination
- Resow with fresh seed at a shallow depth
- Avoid letting the surface crust over
Leaves chewed and stripped by green caterpillars
Those plump green caterpillars ringed with black and yellow bands are parsley worms, the larvae of the black swallowtail, working their way through the feathery foliage. On a settled plant the chewed leaves look worse than the harm actually is. Pick them off by hand and carry them to a sacrificial plant instead of squashing them, since each one grows into a pollinator you'll be glad to have nearby.
Fix:
- Handpick the caterpillars
- Relocate them to a sacrificial plant since they mature into pollinators
- Tolerate minor damage on established plants
Toxicity
The ripe brown seed is a well-loved kitchen spice, so caraway is safe on your own plate. The living plant is another matter for animals: ASPCA lists it as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, because its carvone and limonene oils can bring on mild vomiting and diarrhea. Keep the fragrant foliage and any harvested seed where curious pets can't reach.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
A curious cat drawn to the fragrant foliage may nibble a frond, drool, and soon bring its food back up, with loose stools trailing after. The reaction stays mild and tends to settle on its own.
Dogs Mild
A dog that follows the aroma and chews the leaves or seed usually ends up with an upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea being the most likely outcome.
Horses Toxic
Those same carvone and limonene oils irritate a horse's gut, so drooling, colicky discomfort, and loose droppings follow when a horse grazes the plant.
Rabbits Caution
Strong essential oils upset a rabbit's delicate digestion quickly, so the aromatic leaves belong well away from the hutch rather than in the forage bowl.
Livestock Caution
Grazing animals tend to steer clear of the pungent foliage, yet a big mouthful could touch off the same mild stomach upset other animals get.
Birds Caution
Concentrated plant oils are hard on birds, so keep pet birds clear of the foliage and most of all the oil-rich seed.
People Edible seeds safe
For people the ripe seed is plain kitchen spice, scattered through bread, cheese, and stews without a hitch. Use it as food rather than dosing on the concentrated oil and there's nothing to worry about.
Aromatic foliage and seeds may tempt pets, so keep harvested seed and plants out of reach.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Most caraway is the plain biennial, but a couple of named types are worth knowing if you want seed faster or a bigger haul.
Annual caraway (var. annua, e.g. 'Sprinter')
Skips the usual wait by flowering and setting seed in its very first season rather than holding off until year two.
'Arterner'
A German biennial selection prized for the heavy yield of seed and essential oil it carries.
Companions
Plant near
Peas: Traditional interplanting companion; its deep taproot helps loosen and break up soil for neighboring plants.
How to propagate
Caraway comes from seed, and there's really just one good way to start it, given that deep taproot that won't put up with a transplant.
SeedEasy
Direct sow in early spring once soil is workable, or in early fall · Germinates in 1-3 weeks; forms a leafy rosette the first season and produces seed in the second season
Sow caraway straight into the spot where it will live, because that long, parsnip-like taproot will not forgive being lifted and moved. Drop the seed in early spring once the soil crumbles, or again in early fall, and watch for sprouts in one to three weeks. The first season it puts up only a low rosette of feathery leaves, holding its flowers and brown-ripening seed back for the year that follows.
Myths
Caraway and cumin are the same spice.
Blame the nickname Persian cumin for the confusion, because caraway stands on its own as Carum carvi while true cumin is Cuminum cyminum. The two carry differently shaped seeds and a distinct flavor, so neither one fills in for the other.
Caraway is completely harmless to pets.
ASPCA lists caraway as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Its carvone and limonene oils can trigger mild vomiting and diarrhea, which is reason enough to keep the plant and any harvested seed beyond a pet's reach.