Caraway is a biennial or perennial culinary herb, grown for the flavor it brings to the kitchen, ready to harvest about 240 days after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9 and stands up to deer. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the harvest is the prize. As a member of the carrot family, give it a fresh bed each year — away from where its relatives just grew — so the soil-borne pests and diseases of the family never get a foothold.
Caraway — the short answer
Caraway: grown in zones 3–9, full sun, pH 4.8–7.8, about 240 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Floor: Not verified; ceiling: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-13)
- Soil pH
- 4.8–7.8
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Converted from FAO ECOCROP
- Days to Maturity
- 240 days
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Caraway on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether caraway actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score caraway against your land's real conditions.
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What Caraway is
Caraway grows as a biennial or perennial and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
Life cycle, mature height, bloom period, flower colour and deer resistance: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Caraway
Caraway grows in USDA zones 3 through 9 and is ready to harvest about 240 days after planting. Caraway does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.8 to 7.8, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,500 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-9
Floor: Not verified; ceiling: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-13)
Soil pH
4.8 - 7.8
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Converted from FAO ECOCROP
Drainage
well (dry spells)
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
44.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
240 days
Caraway; biennial; harvest seeds in year 2.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
1500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
2 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant caraway in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Match the soil
Caraway prefers pH 4.8 to 7.8 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Caraway is ready about 240 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Where Caraway thrives
Caraway is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–9 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 42 outright and splits 9 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–9·Where Caraway growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Caraway stands, state by state
Caraway is rated for zones 3–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 42 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 9 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–9
42 states
3 of 42 shown
The line runs through
9 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 9 shown
Caraway’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Caraway
Growing guides for caraway
In rotation planning, caraway counts as a Carrot — beds recover best when carrot crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — caraway is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.)
Caraway offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Before you harvest caraway, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant caraway for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Caraway's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Caraway will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether caraway actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Caraway
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Caraway in my zone?
Caraway grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 (Floor: Not verified; ceiling: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-13)). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Caraway take to grow?
Caraway is ready to harvest about 240 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Caraway?
Caraway is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Caraway need?
Caraway needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Caraway need?
Caraway prefers soil pH 4.8 to 7.8, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Caraway attract pollinators?
Yes — caraway's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Is Caraway safe for pets?
Caraway is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.)
Keep exploring Caraway
Caraway state by state
Every state caraway's zone reaches — 22 link straight to that state's caraway growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.