Helping You Become a More Successful Gardener
Plant Search
TL
Apiaceae
Carum carvi
Caraway
The aromatic, strong-tasting seeds of caraway are best known as a flavor in rye bread. This Eurasian herb is a hardy biennial. The aromatic oils in its seeds have a warm, earthy, almost anise-like flavor. If not harvested, the abundant seeds fall to the ground causing new plants to spring forth the following season. Caraway seeds are most popular in northern and eastern European and Russian cooking.
Clumps of feathery foliage are produced by caraway plants in the spring and summer of the first year. These are bright green and supported by ribbed stems. In the second year, delicate umbels of white flowers bloom in summertime. After pollination by bees and other insects, heads of curved, striated, aromatic seeds are produced. Harvest the seeds before they darken to capture as much seed as possible and prevent self-sowing.
Grow caraway in full sun and fertile garden soil with good drainage. Marginal or clay soils are also tolerated but not optimal. If allowed to self-sow, plants may naturalize. In fact, caraway has become naturalized in meadows and along roadsides across much of North America. Plant it in the herb garden, not only for its fragrant seed but for its dainty, fairy-like flowers and delicate feathery foliage.
8 - 1
3 - 9
A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Herb
Full Sun
20"-24" / 50.8cm - 61.0cm
10"-12" / 25.4cm - 30.5cm
Summer
Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe, Mediterranean, Turkey, Western Asia
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Well Drained
Clay, Loam, Sand
Medium
Average Water
Clump-Forming
Summer, Fall
Showy
White
Brown, Sandy Brown
Green, Light Green
Green
Yes
Single
No
Fine
Matte
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Sometimes
Butterflies
© 2006-2012 Preferred Commerce. All Rights Reserved.
