How to Grow Your Own Cumin Herb (Cuminum cyminum)

By Jennifer Poindexter

Do you use a good amount of cumin in your cooking? Did you know it comes from a beautiful herbaceous plant you may be able to grow around your home?

If you’d like to grow your own herbs and spices, it’s time to consider adding cumin to your herb garden. Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with how to grow this plant.

I’m going to walk you through the general details of caring for cumin. We’ll discuss how to plant, grow, care, and protect it.

Here’s what you must know when learning how to grow cumin around your home garden:

What You’ll Learn:

• The general details of caring for cumin including how to plant, grow, protect and care for it.
• The specific growing conditions for cumin, including the type of sunlight, soil, and climate it needs.
• How to start cumin seeds indoors and directly sow them into the soil.
• How to care for cumin, including watering techniques, application of fertilizer, and use of mulching.
• The common garden pests and diseases that can impact cumin and how to treat them.
• How to harvest cumin for its seeds and properly store them for later use or for planting in the next growing season.

Growing Conditions for Cumin

When growing cumin for edible purposes, the seeds are what’s most commonly used. It might surprise you that cumin is a lush, green plant that produces pink and white, scented flowers during mid-summer.

The foliage of this plant is wispy and resembles dill in some ways. You may utilize the entire plant as the foliage makes a great salad green.

However, if you’d like to use cumin for its more traditional purpose, the flowers produce fragrant seeds which are used to create a spice. If this is intriguing to you and you’d like to grow cumin around your home, start by selecting a growing location with full sunlight.

This means the area should receive more than six hours of direct sunlight each day. Expect cumin to thrive in planting zones five through ten.

However, these plants aren’t frost-tolerant, so ensure you live where they can have a warm and long growing season. Yet, expect the plant to serve as an annual in most planting zones. 

Plant cumin in soil that drains adequately, is loamy, and rich in nutrients. One final thing to keep in mind when growing cumin is the amount of space.

Each plant only produces a small amount of seed, so if you’re growing cumin for this reason, you should have a larger growing area to ensure you produce enough plants for a robust harvest. 

These are the things to take into consideration when providing an ideal growing location for cumin around your home.

How to Plant Cumin

There are two ways to grow cumin. One way is to start your seeds indoors and the other is by direct sowing.

If you live in a cooler climate, it’s wise to start cumin indoors. You won’t want to move the plants to their permanent growing location until the temperatures are at or above 60-degrees Fahrenheit.

Should you choose to start your cumin seeds indoors, do so one to two months prior to the final frost date.

This crop doesn’t transplant well, so be sure to use biodegradable pots. This way you can plant the entire pot in the ground without disturbing the root system.

Fill each container with seed starting mix that’s both nutritious and drains well. From there, plant the seeds ¼ inch deep in the soil.

It’s wise to place at least two seeds per container as a germination insurance policy. If they both sprout, you’ll pick the stronger of the two and cut the other off at soil level.

I like to place my pots inside a growing tray and place water in the bottom of the tray. This allows the soil to soak up moisture from below.

I’ve found it helps avoid overwatering and many fungal issues. Place the seeds in a warm growing location. They should sprout within two weeks.

Once the plants are up, you can water them from overhead. Wait until they’re two inches tall before hardening them off and moving them outdoors, assuming the temperatures are correct.

The next method to growing cumin is sowing the seeds directly into the soil. You should practice this planting method if you have four months of warm weather in your planting zone.

Wait to plant until two weeks after the final frost date and ensure the temperatures are at or above 60-degrees Fahrenheit.

Till the soil in your growing location and prepare it to receive seed. When ready, plant the seeds ¼ inch deep in the soil. Provide a ½ foot of space between each seed.

The rows should be approximately two feet apart. Lightly cover the seeds with soil and keep it evenly damp until germination occurs. This should take around two weeks.

Once the plants have sprouted, continue to provide adequate care until time to harvest. These are the two methods to choose from when growing cumin around your home garden.

Caring for Cumin

Cumin seems pretty straightforward when growing it. This isn’t a deception. It’s a relatively low-maintenance crop.

The main things you must do when growing cumin is water it and apply fertilizer in some circumstances. Let’s begin by discussing how to water this plant.

Cumin is a drought tolerant plant, but supply the plant with water when possible to encourage better health. It’s best to water cumin deeply.

This means you’ll apply larger amounts of water, for longer periods of time, fewer days of the week. Don’t apply any more water without testing the soil.

You’ll do this by inserting your finger into the dirt next to the plant. If the soil is dry to your first knuckle, it’s time to water the plant deeply. If not, wait a day or two before testing the soil again.

Testing the soil can also help avoid oversaturating your cumin plants. When the soil is too soggy, it can cause the roots of the plants to rot.

Mulching can also help keep moisture levels consistent around your plants. It’s great for keeping moisture in the soil while also deterring the growth of weeds. 

This is important as weeds compete with your plants for nutrients and also provide a space for pests and diseases to hide.

The last thing you must do to care for cumin is fertilize under certain conditions. If you didn’t plant in nutrient-rich soil, it’s possible your cumin plants will struggle due to lack of nutrients.

If this is the case, apply a balanced fertilizer to your plants as recommended on the package. This should provide the boost of nutrients cumin needs to thrive in your garden.

These are the few things cumin should need from you when growing the plant fresh around your home. 

Garden Pests and Diseases Which Can Impact Cumin

You know what’s needed to encourage growth in your cumin crop, but you must also be mindful of things which can hinder your plants’ growth.

The most common pest to impact cumin is the aphid. Should you spot this pest, be sure to treat your plants immediately.

You may spray the plants with soapy water to dislodge the pests. They also can be treated with an insecticide. As long as aphids are removed quickly, they shouldn’t be able to do too much damage to your plants.

The most common diseases to impact cumin are fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, and blight. There’s no cure for fusarium wilt.

Once your plants are impacted by it, you should remove them from the soil and destroy them. Don’t compost the plants as this will only spread the disease further.

Blight and powdery mildew are fungal issues that can be treated with a fungicide. They may also be deterred by planting in areas with full sunlight, well-draining soil, and good airflow.

Fungal diseases thrive in areas of cold and wet. Full sunlight and adequately draining soil supply opposite conditions and can help keep these issues at bay.

When growing cumin, it’s vital that you remain alert to potential threats. Watch your crops closely to ensure you begin treatment of any issue at the first signs of pests or diseases.

How to Harvest Cumin

Cumin adds a great deal of beauty to its growing location and produces a harvest at the end of the season as well.

Allow your cumin plants to grow until the blooms turn brown in the fall. When this occurs, remove the plants from the ground by using sharp shears to cut the stems at soil level.

Place the top of the plants, where there’s clusters of seeds, in a brown paper sack. Then use the stems to hang the plants upside down in a warm, dry location.

Wait approximately one week before lowering the plants and removing the sack. Open the bag and rub the seed pods together.

This should dislodge the seeds. At this point, pour the seeds in a cheese cloth and sift. This should separate the seeds from the debris.

When done, store the seeds in a sealed container and keep in a dark, cool, and dry location. You may use these seeds to plant a harvest again the following year or grind them for culinary purposes.

The seeds should last for two years when stored in the right conditions. You now know how to harvest cumin grown in your own backyard.

Growing cumin isn’t a difficult process, but it does take some room if you’d like to use the plant for creating your own home grown spices.

Utilize these tips for adding this new herb to your kitchen garden. Then enjoy learning new gardening skills and growing plants which produce fresh flavors around your home.

Key Takeaways:

• Cumin, an edible herb known for its seeds, can be grown in home gardens in areas with full sunlight and rich, loamy soil.
• Two methods can be employed in planting cumin: starting seeds indoors in biodegradable pots, or directly sowing seeds into the soil.
• While cumin is a low-maintenance and drought-tolerant crop, it benefits from deep watering and the application of a balanced fertilizer, especially when not planted in nutrient-rich soil.
• Aphids are the most common pest that can affect cumin, while fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, and blight are common diseases that may impact this plant. Awareness and prompt action are crucial in dealing with these problems.
• Harvesting cumin involves allowing the plants to grow until the blooms turn brown, then cutting and hanging the plants upside down in a warm, dry location. The seeds are then separated, sifted, and stored for future use.
• Cultivating cumin at home not only enriches your garden but also provides you with fresh, homegrown spices for your culinary needs.

Cumin Quick Reference Growing Chart

	Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) Characteristics
Origin and Uses	Native to the Mediterranean, used as spice in various cuisines, medicinal uses
Growth and Life Cycle	Vulnerable to frost, 120 frost-free days needed
Planting Conditions	Seeds germinate at 36-41 degrees, optimum temps 68-86 degrees, seed soaking recommended
Planting Instructions	Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost or outdoors 1-2 weeks after last frost
Care Instructions	Regular watering but allow soil to dry between watering, doesn’t transplant well
Harvesting	Cut stems when clusters are dry/brown, dry and thrash to release seeds
Diseases and Pests	Vulnerable to aphids, fusarium wilt, alternaria blight, and powdery mildew

More About Cumin

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cuminum-cyminum/

https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1170&title=herbs-in-southern-gardens