How to Grow Cumin in the Garden

Cumin, Cuminum cyminum, is probably my all time favorite culinary spice.

Since I use it in just about everything that I cook, I am careful to make sure cumin seed is always in stock in my kitchen.

In fact, I love it so much, I decided to find out whether I can grow it in my own garden.

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This herb may be a heat loving annual, but it turns out that with a few simple considerations in mind, growing it is very doable – even at my home in Vermont!

Cumin is a tender flowering annual in the parsley family, Apiaceae, that is grown for its seed. It is used in many different cuisines, and is one of the most popular spices in the world.

The seed has a warm, earthy, slightly bitter flavor that can enhance many different types of dishes. It is especially popular in Indian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, north African, and Mexican cuisines.

It is also especially popular in my kitchen!

The plant grows 1 to 2 feet tall and produces umbels of fragrant pink or white flowers that appear in midsummer, amidst feathery foliage similar to dill – which can be added to salads.

The flowers are followed by the characteristic fragrant seeds, which mature in about 120 days after planting.

In addition to its flavorful seeds, the flowers attract beneficial insects such as lacewings, predatory wasps, and ladybugs. Planting it in your garden near crops that tend to suffer from pest infestations can help keep pesky insects under control.

Native to the eastern Mediterranean, parts of the Middle East, and India, cumin is a very popular aromatic herb with a