Caraway is a biennial 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 7 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.
Zones
3-7
pH Range
4.8-7.8
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
240
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What Caraway is
Caraway grows as a biennial and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Caraway
Caraway grows in USDA zones 3 through 7 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 and a growing season of at least 150 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-7
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.8 - 7.8
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Tolerance
44.6°F
The lowest temperature it shrugs off — below this, expect damage without cover.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Days to Maturity
240 days
Caraway; biennial; harvest seeds in year 2.
USDA-NRCS; UMD-Herb
GDD Required
1500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
2 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
150+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
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.
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. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Caraway is ready about 240 days after planting (USDA-NRCS; UMD-Herb). Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — caraway isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Caraway offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
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 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M 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.
Where Caraway thrives
Caraway is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 7. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
Zones 3–7·Where Caraway growsOpen map →
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Caraway can grow in these states:
See if Caraway will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether caraway actually takes — we score it against the real 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Caraway in my zone?
Caraway grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 7 (USDA PHZM 2023). 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 (USDA-NRCS; UMD-Herb). 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. 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 actual 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. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Caraway safe for pets?
Caraway is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)