How to Grow Caraway

Grow caraway for its intensely scented seeds or as a parsnip-like root vegetable. It will manage in partial shade, but grow in full sun if harvesting the seeds is the intent. Caraway will thrive in nearly any reasonable soil, but if grown as a root crop, take some time to cultivate deeply as you would for carrots. Here are some other details on how to grow caraway from seed:

Latin
Carum carvi
Family: Apiaceae

Difficulty
Easy

Season & Zone
Season: Cool season biennial
Exposure: Sun or part-shade
Zone: 4-10

Timing
Caraway is best sown directly outdoors in early autumn. For spring sowing, direct in the garden is preferred in order not to damage the taproot. Technically caraway seeds can be started in trays, but transplant them early and carefully, before the root is exposed.

Starting
Sow seeds 5mm-1cm (¼-½”) deep. If growing as a root crop, treat the plants like vegetables and space them 20cm (8″) apart. For seed production the plants can be spaced a bit farther apart.

Growing
Caraway plants look a bit like carrot plants. In the first year of growth, they reach about 20cm (8″) tall. New spring growth emerges from a parsnip-like taproot in early spring. By early summer, the plant begins to send up its flower stalk to around 60cm (24″) tall.

Harvest
The edible leaves and flowers can be picked in the summer. In the fall, harvest the seed heads and dig up any second year plants. Sowing more seeds at this time is sensible.

Companion Planting
As an umbelifer, caraway acts like a general health tonic for the garden. Once in bloom, the plants will attract many species of predatory insects to control pest species. Plant near any crop that suffers from caterpillars (such as Brassicas) or aphids (such as peas). Just be aware that this amazing property occurs when the plant is in bloom in its second year of growth.