This annual with delicate whitish flowers, distinctive styles and thin, light green foliage on delicate stems is usually grown for its tiny, aromatic seeds with a fennel like odour and a peppery nutmeg like flavour. The seeds are grounded up and used as a substitute for pepper. It is also a part of some herb mixtures from India. Makes a nice cut flower. Annual. Height: 30-40 cm.
Indoor sowing: april
Outdoor sowing: end of may
Germination: 8 - 21 days
Germination temp.: 8 - 20°C
Sowing depth: 2 - 3 mm
Plant distance: 25 - 30 cm
Plant position: sunny
Harvest period: july - august
This plant can be sown indoors from april on, but outdoors sowing from the end of may, when there's no longer any risk of nightfrost is better because the cold makes the germination easier. Sow on a sunny, very well manured plot with loosened soil and well draining soil. Sow thinly and shallow and rake in the seeds or cover them with a very thin layer of soil. Keep moist and weedfree.
Thin the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to 25 - 30 cm apart. This plant has a slight drought resistance, but water profusely during dry spells or when the weather is quite windy.
Let the flowers witter to harvest the seeds, because the flowers need to witter to make the seeds. Harvest carefully when the striped seed boxes feel dry. This can happen in many different ways, but the seed boxes need to dry carefully in a dry spot with air circulation. Then You can remove the seeds from the seeds boxes to dry on on a very dry spot in a container.
