How to Grow Cumin

Cumin is used in nearly all cuisines of the world. It is commercially grown in North Africa and West Asia, but if it’s given a head start and a warm summer, it will be productive in gardens. Before it produces its strongly aromatic seeds, its flowers will attract a host of beneficial insect predators that will help to control garden pests. Find out more about how to grow cumin from seed in the guide that follows.

Latin
Cuminum cyminum
Family: Apiaceae

Difficulty
Easy

Season & Zone
Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full sun

Timing
Cumin needs a long hot season to produce seeds. Start indoors four weeks before the last frost date, and transplant outside once temperatures are steadily above 15°C (60°F). Ideal temperature for germination: 20-30°C (68-86°F), so use bottom heat. Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.

Starting
Sow 5mm (¼”) deep. Transplant at a spacing of 10cm (4″).

Growing
Cumin needs approximately 120 days to maturity from the sowing date to produce viable seeds. It is an annual member of the carrot family, and produces umbelliferous flowers that are highly attractive to beneficial garden insect predators. Flowering begins mid-summer.

Harvest
Cut the seed heads to dry indoors as late in the season as possible, or as soon as seeds can be seen to fall from the seed head.

Seed Info
Usual seed life: 2 years.

Companion Planting
As an umbelifer, cumin produces shallow flowers that are arranged in an umbel. All umbelifers are naturally attractive to predatory insects such as lacewings, ladybird beetles, and parasitoid wasps. Plant near any crop that normally attracts caterpillars or aphids.