Black Cumin Seeds

Which black cumin is this?

Nigella sativa, called kalonji in Hindi and black cumin, black seed or black caraway in English. It is not cumin: jeera (Cuminum cyminum, sold separately as our Jeera, Cumin Seeds) belongs to the Apiaceae, while Nigella belongs to the Ranunculaceae and has very black seeds that resemble onion seeds.

The name kala jeera is used for more than one spice, and shah jeera (Bunium persicum) is a different plant again, so go by the Latin name when you compare packets.

Germination temperature

Nigella germinates best in cool weather: the optimum daytime temperature is 12–18 °C, and germination declines once it rises above 25 °C.

Sowing depth and spacing

Sow 5–15 mm deep, depending on soil moisture. Rows 25–60 cm apart with plants 5–15 cm apart in the row suit a target of 40–60 plants per square metre.

Soil

Loamy or sandy soil that drains well and is rich in organic matter. The ideal pH is 7.0–7.5, and plants still grow between pH 5.0 and 8.5.

Days to harvest

Allow 140–186 days from sowing to harvest, depending on variety, daytime temperature and soil moisture. The Rajasthan variety Ajmer Nigella-20 flowers 85–90 days after sowing and matures in 145–150 days.

What goes wrong

Foot and root rot is one of the most serious problems in kalonji. Avoid overhead irrigation that keeps the canopy wet, and on poorly drained ground form raised beds.

Sowing kalonji in India

Trials in Rajasthan point to mid-to-late October. At the National Research Centre on Seed Spices, a 15 October sowing in rows 25 cm apart with plants 10 cm apart gave the highest seed yield and oil content of the dates tested.

Root rot pulls the other way: in a two-season trial in semi-arid Rajasthan, 1 October sowing had the most root rot and 30 October sowing the least, while rows 20, 25 or 30 cm apart made no difference.

Also known as

Kalonji, Kalaunji, Kala jeera, Nigella, Black seed, Black caraway, Black cumin, Nutmeg flower, Schwarzkümmel, Cumin noir, Chernushka, Habbah al-baraka and Çörek otu.