Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) Seeds Seeds Piccolo Seeds
Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) Seeds — Default Title
Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) Seeds Seeds Piccolo Seeds
Piccolo Seeds

Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) Seeds

Grow your own black seed for naan, flatbreads and curries

£2.99

Sold out. FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Key benefits

  • Grow your own black seed for naan, flatbreads and curries
  • Pale blue to white summer flowers that bees visit
  • True black cumin, known as kalonji
  • Slim plants about 30 cm tall, suited to a 30 cm pot
  • Packet of about 100 seeds with growing instructions

This is the nigella whose seed you cook with: one sowing gives you delicate flowers in summer and a jar of your own black seed by autumn. Nigella sativa is true black cumin, known as kalonji in Indian cooking and a close relative of love-in-a-mist. It makes a slim, upright plant with fine, feathery leaves and small pale blue to white flowers, followed by swollen seed pods packed with angular black seeds. The seed has a peppery, faintly onion-like flavour; scatter it over naan, flatbreads and Turkish breads, or toast it in oil at the start of a curry.

Sowing and growing

  • Sow outdoors where it is to flower from late March to May; it needs no indoor start.
  • Sow about 0.5 cm deep and thin seedlings to 20 cm apart.
  • Germination takes 10 to 15 days.
  • Full sun, in well-drained soil. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers.
  • Grows to about 30 cm tall and 20 cm wide, so it suits a 30 cm pot on a sunny balcony.
  • Flowers in summer; seed is ready in late summer, around 80 to 100 days after sowing.
  • Annual: sow fresh each spring.

What you receive: a packet of about 100 seeds from Piccolo Seeds, with growing instructions on the back.

Browse our full range of herb, spice and flower seeds, explore more exotic edibles, or add more plants for pollinators.

How to use
  1. Sow outdoors where it is to flower from late March to May.
  2. Sow about 0.5 cm deep and thin seedlings to 20 cm apart.
  3. Grow in full sun in well-drained soil.
  4. Harvest the seed in late summer.
Delivery and returns

Every order is hand-packed and sent with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? You can return unused items within 14 days of delivery. See our returns policy.

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14-day returns on unused items
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Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nigella sativa the same as love-in-a-mist?

No, they are two species in the same genus. Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) is the showier garden flower with a ruff of fine bracts, while Nigella sativa has smaller, paler flowers and is the one valued for its edible black seed, sold in shops as nigella seed or kalonji.

How do I harvest black cumin seed?

Pick the pods once they turn brown and papery but before they split open, then leave them in a paper bag somewhere warm and dry to finish ripening. Shake out the seeds, make sure they are completely dry and store them in an airtight jar.

When should I sow black cumin seeds?

Sow directly outdoors from late March to May, in a sunny spot. It dislikes being moved, so sow it where it is to grow, either in the ground or in a pot, and thin the seedlings rather than transplanting them.

What is your returns policy?

Changed your mind? You can return pots, gifts, accessories and other non-plant items. Email hello@growtropicals.com with your order number within 14 days of delivery, then send the item back within 14 days of telling us. You pay the return postage.

Items must come back unused and in their original condition. If an item has been used, we may reduce your refund by the value it has lost, and for used items this can be the full price.

Live plants cannot be returned because you have changed your mind, but they are covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

If something arrives damaged, faulty or wrong, email us with your order number and photos and we will put it right at no cost to you. Full details are in our returns policy.

When will my order arrive and how much is shipping?

Choose your delivery speed at checkout. Express orders placed before 1pm are dispatched the same day, otherwise the next working day. Standard orders are dispatched within 2 to 3 working days and Economy orders within 4 to 5 working days. Once dispatched, every order travels by 24 hour tracked courier.

Delivery is free on orders over £60 with Economy, over £100 with Standard and over £150 with Express. Below that, the charge depends on your basket total and is always shown at checkout before you pay. The full price list is in our shipping policy.

Orders without plants are dispatched Monday to Friday. If your order also includes plants, it goes out Monday to Thursday so the plants are not left in the courier network over the weekend. Delivery can take longer at busy times such as Black Friday and Christmas.

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Why Grow Tropicals

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Packed with care

Packed with care

Every order is hand-packed in protective packaging and sent with tracked delivery, so it reaches you in one piece.

Free tracked delivery on orders over £60.

Ready to give

Ready to give

Add a gift message at checkout and we will handwrite it and pack it with your order.

Pair it with a plant for a complete gift.

Easy returns

Easy returns

Changed your mind? Send unused items back within 14 days of delivery and we will refund you.

Full details in our returns policy.

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Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) Seeds
£2.99