Friends, rather than selling and shipping seeds, we now share seeds as an embodied gift practice. We are shipping all orders prior to August 28th as quick as we can, though your seeds may not arrive ’til October. Thanks for your patience and grace! Learn how to receive seeds from us & here are our FAQs.
HEIRLOOM Easy to grow and exquisitely delicious, the soft & fern-like foliage extraordinary flowers of black cumin are short, often under 2 feet, thriving in gardens as well as raised beds and containers, even with partial sun.
Each gorgeous seedhead is borne on a long, strong stem perfect for cutting and, as the seeds mature, we love to shake the seeds on top of our plates with dramatic flourish. Black Cumin seeds are a Mid-East as well as Indian delicacy, where they are known as kalonji. Distinctly different from brown cumin with her own characteristic flavor reminiscent of toasted onion flake, black pepper plus oregano, black cumin is commonly toasted for curries, bread and steamed rice. We often toss 20 seeds or so in a pot of rice and savor the exquisite flavor and heavenly aroma she imparts!
We will forever be thankful for Brian and Chrystine of Uprising Seeds, an endless source of diversity and inspiration, who shared these black cumin seeds with us in 2012.
When to sow: To Direct Sow (recommended), after last frost, sow 6 seeds/foot thinned to 2 plants/foot once true leaves emerge. Weed well. To transplant: Sow 4 weeks before final frost, 2 seeds per cell (thinned to one).
Seed Depth: 1/4 inch
Full Sun Days to Germination: 5-7
Days to Harvest: 60 days to flower, 80 days to seed
Plant spacing after thinning: 8-12 inches; rows 24-36″ apart
Height: 12 inches
Harvest: Collect seedheads when golden & dry.
Laureen Magyari (verified owner) –
This is NOT cumin, not related at all. Perhaps should be in a defferent category.
Maddie –
Thanks for your feedback! While “Black Cumin” may be one of those common names that’s a bit confusing (as sweet potatoes are truly totally different from potatoes), we hope our product description differentiating it from brown cumin and listing the Genus species provides enough clarity.