Cardamom is one of the most expensive and exclusive spices in the world. If there is a very hot and humid climate where you live, you can try growing your own plant too. Plant a few seeds indoors and let them grow for a few months until they sprout, then transplant the seedlings to a shady area of your garden. It will take a few years of watering and care, but eventually your plants will produce this spice that you can harvest and use for cooking.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Sprouting the Seeds
Step 1. Obtain the seeds from the supermarket, agricultural store or nursery
Although it is possible to obtain them from capsules that can be purchased in the store, it is preferable to buy them at a nursery, as they will not have diseases and will sprout more easily.
Purchase the seeds at an online nursery or gardening store
Advise:
If you decide to use seeds collected from a cardamom plant, make sure it is at least 5 years old.
Step 2. Fill some pots with clay soil
The soil should be slightly sandy, in order to drain the water gradually; you can buy it at most garden stores. If you plan to transplant seedlings in the garden, you can use pots of any size; if you are going to leave them in their original pot until the plant reaches maturity, use one that is at least 30cm deep and 15cm wide.
Step 3. Plant the seeds to a depth of a few millimeters (approximately 3 mm)
Plant a handful of seeds in the pot and cover them with a layer of soil two to three millimeters thick, then sprinkle the soil with water to moisten it completely.
Plant as many seeds as you like, but make sure they are at a distance of 2.5 cm from each other, so that you can thin out and transplant the seedlings once they have grown
Step 4. Wait for the seeds to sprout and produce a few leaves
The seeds should germinate after about 30-45 days - you should see seedlings sprouting from the ground after this time. Keep watering them so the soil stays moist and leave them in the pot until you notice at least a couple of leaves on each.
It will take approximately 90 days for the seedlings to be large enough to be transplanted outdoors
Part 2 of 3: Transplanting and Caring for Cardamom
Step 1. Choose an area of your garden with enough draining soil
Look at the soil after torrential rain to see how draining it is - you shouldn't notice large puddles, but it should remain moist. If it is too rich in clay, it will risk killing the plants: in this case you will have to find another place in the garden to plant the cardamom or you will have to mix sand in it to lighten the soil.
The ideal soil for cardamom is clayey with a pH of between 4, 5 and 7
Step 2. Choose a partially shaded area
Cardamom plants do not survive direct sunlight, so opt for an area that is in partial shade; if you can only find one completely in the shade, that's okay, but the plant may not grow as fast.
Usually, cardamom plants grow in the shade of the foliage of other trees
Step 3. Choose an area for your plant that has high humidity
Since cardamom plants grow in subtropical forests, they need a lot of moisture to grow healthily. If you plant them outside, the humidity must be around 75%.
This plant survives best in temperatures between 18 and 35 ° C
Step 4. Place the cardamom seedlings 2.5-4cm deep into the soil
Drill holes 2, 5 cm deep and placed at a distance between 15 and 45 cm from each other. Place a seedling in each hole and surround the roots with soil. If you want to provide support for the seedlings as they grow, drive garden stakes 5cm from the base of each seedling into the soil.
- As the plant grows, you can tie it to the pole.
- Avoid planting seedlings too deep, otherwise they may not grow if they don't get the right amount of sunlight.
Step 5. Plant cardamom in a pot if you plan to move it
If the temperature occasionally drops below 16 ° C where you live, it may be better to place the seedlings in large pots rather than garden soil. This way, you can take them inside when it's colder.
- If you decide to use a pot, choose it as large as possible in relation to the space you have available and make sure it is easy to lift to move it around the house.
- If you need to bring the plants indoors, consider placing them in the hottest and most humid room in the house, for example in the bathroom.
Step 6. Water the plants to keep the soil moist
Feel the soil with your fingers every day to make sure it is moist - it should never dry out, so water it until it is completely wet.
Cardamom plants will need more water during the summer, when the fruit ripens, so be sure to water them even more frequently this season
Step 7. Add fertilizer twice a month during the growing season
Choose an organic product with a high content of phosphorus, then spread it on the ground around the plants twice a month during the summer, which corresponds to the vegetative period of cardamom.
To return nutrients to the soil you will also need to sprinkle it with aged manure or compost once a year
Advise:
Torrential rain will wash away the fertilizer, so wait until it is finished to spread it on the ground.
Part 3 of 3: Collect the Cardamom
Step 1. Grow the plants until they reach a height of between 2 and 3 meters
Continue to water them regularly and fertilize them as needed; after a while you will see long and thin stems sprouting from the ground.
- Remember that it will take a few years for the plants to grow a few meters.
- On the stems, rows of leaves of a beautiful bright green and 5 cm long will begin to appear.
Step 2. Wait 2-3 years before harvesting the cardamom fruit
The flowering of the plants will begin in April or May and will continue until July or August; the flowers will be yellow, small and oval in shape.
- Inside the flowers there will be capsules containing 15-20 seeds each.
- Some plants may take 4-5 years to flower.
- Although the flowers appear early in the year, wait until it is October or November before harvesting the seeds, so that the fruits are ripe.
Step 3. Collect the capsules with your hands
As soon as the capsules start to dry slightly, take one to see if it breaks easily: if this happens, you can start collecting the other ripe capsules as well.
Cardamom plants will continue to produce more and more seeds over time
Did you know that?
Cardamom is harvested 5-6 times over a year. Wait 35-45 days between one harvest and the next, to allow time for a greater quantity of fruit to ripen.
Step 4. Dry the capsules
Depending on how many you want to dry, you can use different methods. For a small amount, arrange them on a single layer and let them dry in the sun; in large scale commercial harvests, cardamom is dried using high temperature dryers.
Once the capsules have dried, you can open them, chop the seeds and use them for cooking
Advice
- If the leaves turn brown, it means they are getting too much sunlight, so consider moving the plant to a more shaded area. If they turn yellow, the plant probably needs fertilizer.
- If the tips of the leaves turn brown, spray them with water, making sure not to overdo it, otherwise the roots could start to rot.
