Caraway
Carum carvi
Family Apiaceae
Caraway is three vegetables wearing a spice's name — the famous seed of rye bread, sauerkraut, and goulash, plus young leaves for salads and a root that eats like a slender parsnip. A patient biennial, it spends its first year leafy and delivers the seed harvest in its second.
Its lacy second-year flowers are first-class forage for beneficial insects, and it self-sows just enough to keep the patch going without you. Small at 1-2 ft, it fits the edge of any sunny bed. Start a patch once and the kraut seasons itself for years.
Full Sun
Moderate water
Moderate growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing caraway? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries caraway — Carum carvi, print Nº 92, “Caraway.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what caraway actually needs.
Life cycleBiennial, grown as an annualCaraway · Common problems
Common caraway problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Caraway · Growing & propagation
Growing caraway
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Moderate
Soil- Well-drained, average · pH 6.0 - 7.5
Fertilizer- Light
Pruning- When seeds ripen, cut heads and dry
The seed of rye bread, sauerkraut, and countless European dishes — a biennial that makes a leafy rosette the first year, then flowers and sets seed the second. The lacy flowers feed beneficial wasps and bees. Harvest seed heads as they brown. Self-sows to keep the patch going. The young leaves are salad-worthy and the taproot is edible like a small parsnip.
Spacing- 6-8 in
How to plant & propagate caraway
Maturity- biennial (seed year 2)
- From seed
- Direct-sow
Leafy year 1, seed year 2
- Propagate
- From seed
Caraway · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Caraway · Yearly calendar
The caraway year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomMay to June
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Caraway · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Carum carvi
Caraway in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer biennial
- Nectary/insectary
Attracts- Bees
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What caraway is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
Use- Rye/kraut seed
- Use
- Beneficials
- Use
- Self-sowing
- Use
- Multi-use
- Edible value
- 3/5
Harvesting & storing caraway
Seeds (the caraway of rye bread and sauerkraut) in year two; young leaves in salads; roots edible like parsnip. About biennial (seed year 2) from planting.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Caraway · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a caraway variety
Species
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Caraway
Carum carvi
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Carum carvi
- Plant family
- Apiaceae
- Growth habit
- Biennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- CACA19
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
Questions
Caraway questions, answered straight.
Is caraway safe for kids and pets?
Caraway is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest caraway?
Seeds (the caraway of rye bread and sauerkraut) in year two; young leaves in salads; roots edible like parsnip. From planting, expect about biennial (seed year 2) to maturity.
How do you propagate caraway?
From seed.
Elsewhere
Where caraway sits in the library.
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