Variety field guide
What to expect from Caraway
Caraway is a biennial caraway selection grown for aromatic stems, leaves, swollen bases, or seed.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
Caraway Seeds is best suited to culinary seed, aromatic foliage, specialty herb gardens, and pollinator flowers. Its defining kitchen character is distinctive spice and aromatic notes. These specialty herbs have different botanical identities despite overlapping common-name language.
About Caraway
Caraway is a biennial selection of caraway, with an upright/erect habit and an expected height or spread of 19–24 in. It is best suited to aromatic stems, leaves, swollen bases, or seed. Notable traits include harvest the named leaf, stalk, swollen base, or mature seed stage; aromatic celery, anise, or spice notes according to crop.
Caraway is kept under its own packet name and should not be treated as interchangeable with every other caraway selection.
History and provenance
This crop belongs to the carrot family, a group with a long history in Eurasian and Mediterranean foodways. The family includes leaf, root, stem, spice, and seed crops, but their culinary traditions do not prove a specific commercial seed lot or breeder lineage. These specialty herbs have different botanical identities despite overlapping common-name language. Product copy uses botanical names and garden behavior to prevent common-name confusion.
Growing facts
| Scientific name | Carum carvi L. |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Biennial |
| Maturity | 80-89 Days |
| Germination | 7-14 Days at 55–70 °F |
| Seed depth | 1/4 in |
| Plant height / spread | 19–24 in |
| Growth habit | Upright/Erect |
| Spacing | 8 in between plants; 18 in between rows |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Soil | Loamy; pH 6.5–7.0 |
| Water | Moderate |
| Support | No-Support |
Starting Caraway from seed
Sow 1/4 in deep and keep the seed zone evenly moist. Expect emergence in 7-14 Days when the seed-zone temperature is near 55–70 °F. Germination preparation: Use a fine, evenly moist seed-starting mix or prepared seedbed. Light requirement: Cover evenly to 1/4 in. Soaking: None required. Stratification: None required. Scarification: None required.
Planting and care
Plant during spring and provide full sun. Space plants 8 in apart with 18 in between rows. Use loamy with a pH near 6.5–7.0, and follow a moderate watering plan. Support requirement: No-Support. Frost response: Hardy. Medium to large container or in-ground bed; avoid crowding
Harvest and use
Approximately 80-89 Days, from sowing to first-season leaf or root harvest; seed follows after vernalization. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date. Harvest: Harvest the named leaf, stalk, swollen base, or mature seed stage. Uses: Aromatic stems, leaves, swollen bases, or seed; kitchen use and seed saving. Flavor: aromatic celery, anise, or spice notes according to crop. Seed saving: Insect-pollinated umbel crop. Best uses include aromatic stems, leaves, swollen bases, or seed. Flavor and eating quality: aromatic celery, anise, or spice notes according to crop.
Saving seed
Select several healthy, true-to-type Caraway plants that match the expected upright/erect habit and overall plant form. Avoid saving seed only from the earliest or largest individual unless that is your deliberate selection goal. Pollination system: Insect-pollinated umbel crop. Compatible plants of the same species can cross through insect activity; wild relatives matter for carrot and parsnip. Separate compatible varieties that may flower together, or use cages, barriers, hand pollination, or another documented control appropriate to the crop. Caraway is a biennial. Seed production may require overwintering, vernalization, or more than one growing season, depending on climate and crop biology. Clean the seed carefully, dry it thoroughly away from direct heat, label the lot with variety and year, and store it cool, dark, and dry. Test germination before an important planting or distribution season.
Common problems
Common concerns: Carrot rust fly or root maggot where present, aphids, caterpillars, leaf spots, damping-off, and uneven emergence from crusted soil. Management: Use clean seedbeds, rotation, careful watering, prompt thinning, airflow, and locally appropriate exclusion methods. Diagnosis note: Similar symptoms can have different causes. Compare plants of the same age, record weather and irrigation, and use local Extension or diagnostic support before applying a control.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions - Caraway
When is Caraway ready? Use 80-89 Days. Approximately 80-89 Days, from sowing to first-season leaf or root harvest; seed follows after vernalization. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date.
How long does germination take? Expect 7-14 Days at about 55–70 °F. Cooler, hotter, crusted, saturated, or dry seedbeds can slow emergence.
How large does it grow? Expect about 19–24 in with an upright/erect habit. Space plants 8 in apart and rows 18 in apart. Support: No-Support.
Can it grow in a container? Medium to large container or in-ground bed; avoid crowding Use a container with drainage and enough volume to maintain the listed spacing and steady moisture.
Can I save seed? Insect-pollinated umbel crop. Keep compatible varieties isolated and allow selected plants to reach full seed maturity.
