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Herb Partial Shade OK Frequent water

Cardamom

Written by the GrowByCity Editorial Team · Updated April 2026
2 min read

Expensive tropical spice. A warmth-loving plant that does best between 22°C and 30°C, cardamom adapts well to tropical and subtropical conditions but cannot tolerate frost. It needs partial shade, though it appreciates some direct light and frequent watering — it is a thirsty plant that dislikes dry soil — leaves are ready for picking in about 730-1095 days. Valued in cuisines worldwide, it is easy to grow and rewards regular harvesting with bushier, more productive plants.

Harvest 730-1095 days
Temp Range 15°C — 35°C

Quick Answer: How to Grow Cardamom

Cardamom takes 730-1095 days to harvest. It grows best in 22–30°C with partial shade ok and frequent watering. Cardamom is not frost tolerant — wait until after the last frost to plant. It can be grown in 350 cities worldwide.

Find the best time to plant Cardamom in your city →

Growing Requirements

☀️
Sun
Partial Shade OK
💧
Water
Frequent
❄️
Frost
Sensitive
📅
Harvest
730-1095 days

Temperature Range

22-30°C
-10°C 45°C
Optimal: 22–30°C Tolerates: 15–35°C
Tropical suitable: Yes
Cities growing: 350 of 350

Growing Tips

💡

Expert Tips

Needs shade, humidity, and warmth. Very slow to produce pods. Wait until soil warms to at least 22°C before transplanting outdoors — cold soil stunts growth and can invite root rot. Consistent moisture is critical. Mulch with straw or compost to retain soil moisture and keep roots cool during hot weather.

Quick Facts

  • Grows in 350 of 350 cities
  • Available in 7 regions worldwide
  • Temperature range: 15°C to 35°C
  • Optimal growing: 22°C to 30°C
  • Harvest in 730-1095 days

Did You Know?

  • 🌱 Cardamom loves the heat! It thrives in tropical and subtropical climates year-round.

Step-by-Step Growing Guide

True cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is a shade-loving, rhizomatous tropical perennial from the rainforest understory of the Western Ghats — it is one of the most demanding and slowest-producing spice crops for the home gardener. Plant divisions or rhizomes in a large container or sheltered outdoor bed in zones 10–12, in rich, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil with pH 5.5–6.8 and generous organic matter. Cardamom requires 50–75% shade (ideal under taller trees or 70% shade cloth), high humidity, and temperatures that never drop below 15°C. Water frequently — 2–3 times per week — never allowing the soil to dry. Feed with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer supplemented with magnesium (epsom salt drench monthly). Plants take 3–4 years to begin producing pods, which emerge from stolons at soil level — not on the main stems. In non-tropical climates, overwinter indoors in a very humid, bright location.

Common Pests & Problems

Katte disease (cardamom mosaic virus), transmitted by the banana aphid (Pentalonia nigronervosa), causes severe mosaic mottling on leaves and destroys yield — infected plants must be removed; control aphid populations with neem oil and avoid monoculture. Rhizome rot caused by Phytophthora meadii causes corm and rhizome collapse during wet conditions; improve drainage and apply copper-based fungicide preventively. Shoot fly (Formosina flavipes) is a pest of young shoots in South Asian cardamom plantations — maggots bore into the pseudostem causing dead hearts; inspect new growth weekly and remove damaged pseudostems.

Harvest & Storage

Harvest cardamom pods when they are plump and full but still green — over-ripe pods split open and lose seeds and aroma. The pods emerge near the ground on horizontal stolons. Pick by hand, harvesting only mature green pods and leaving smaller ones to develop. For dried cardamom, cure in a warm oven (50°C) or dehydrator until pods rattle. Store whole pods in an airtight container for up to 12 months — grinding releases volatile oils rapidly, so grind fresh as needed. Whole pods retain flavor far longer than pre-ground powder.

Popular Varieties

"Malabar" is the traditional wild-type variety from Kerala's forests — lower-yielding but with complex, floral, camphor-rich flavor considered the finest in world trade. "Mysore" variety was selected for higher yield and disease resistance — the dominant commercial planting type in India. "Vazhukka" is a hybrid variety developed for resistance to katte disease with improved yields — the recommended choice for modern cultivation. "Black Cardamom" (Amomum subulatum) is a different species entirely — larger pods with a smoky, cooling flavor used in South Asian savory cooking rather than sweets.

Where to Grow Cardamom

Cardamom can be grown in 350 cities across 7 regions worldwide

🌍 Europe (80 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Aarhus, DK hard
Amsterdam, NL hard
Ankara, TR hard
Antalya, TR hard
Athens, GR hard
Barcelona, ES hard
Bari, IT hard
Belgrade, RS hard
Bergen, NO hard
Berlin, DE hard
Bilbao, ES hard
Bologna, IT hard
Bordeaux, FR hard
Bratislava, SK hard
Brussels, BE hard
Bucharest, RO hard
Budapest, HU hard
Catania, IT hard
Cologne, DE hard
Copenhagen, DK hard
Corfu, GR hard
Cork, IE hard
Dublin, IE hard
Dubrovnik, HR hard
Edinburgh, GB hard
Florence, IT hard
Frankfurt, DE hard
Gdansk, PL hard
Genoa, IT hard
Glasgow, GB hard
Gothenburg, SE hard
Hamburg, DE hard
Helsinki, FI hard
Heraklion, GR hard
Istanbul, TR hard
Izmir, TR hard
Krakow, PL hard
Kyiv, UA hard
Limassol, CY hard
Lisbon, PT hard
Ljubljana, SI hard
London, GB hard
Lyon, FR hard
Madrid, ES hard
Malaga, ES hard
Marseille, FR hard
Milan, IT hard
Munich, DE hard
Naples, IT hard
Nice, FR hard
Nicosia, CY hard
Oslo, NO hard
Palermo, IT hard
Paris, FR hard
Porto, PT hard
Poznan, PL hard
Prague, CZ hard
Reykjavik, IS hard
Riga, LV hard
Rome, IT hard
Seville, ES hard
Sofia, BG hard
Split, HR hard
Stockholm, SE hard
Strasbourg, FR hard
Stuttgart, DE hard
Tallinn, EE hard
Thessaloniki, GR hard
Tirana, AL hard
Toulouse, FR hard
Turin, IT hard
Turku, FI hard
Valencia, ES hard
Valletta, MT hard
Verona, IT hard
Vienna, AT hard
Vilnius, LT hard
Warsaw, PL hard
Zagreb, HR hard
Zurich, CH hard

🌏 Asia (79 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Ahmedabad, IN hard
Almaty, KZ hard
Bali, ID hard
Bandung, ID hard
Bangalore, IN hard
Bangkok, TH hard
Beijing, CN hard
Busan, KR hard
Cebu, PH hard
Chandigarh, IN hard
Chengdu, CN hard
Chennai, IN hard
Chiang Mai, TH hard
Chittagong, BD hard
Chongqing, CN hard
Coimbatore, IN hard
Colombo, LK hard
Da Nang, VN hard
Dalian, CN hard
Davao, PH hard
Delhi, IN hard
Dhaka, BD hard
Dharan, NP hard
Fukuoka, JP hard
Galle, LK hard
Guangzhou, CN hard
Hangzhou, CN hard
Hanoi, VN hard
Harbin, CN hard
Ho Chi Minh City, VN hard
Hong Kong, HK hard
Hyderabad, IN hard
Incheon, KR hard
Indore, IN hard
Islamabad, PK hard
Jaipur, IN hard
Jakarta, ID hard
Jeju, KR hard
Johor Bahru, MY hard
Karachi, PK hard
Kathmandu, NP hard
Kochi, IN hard
Kolkata, IN hard
Kuala Lumpur, MY hard
Kunming, CN hard
Kyoto, JP hard
Lahore, PK hard
Lucknow, IN hard
Manila, PH hard
Mumbai, IN hard
Nagoya, JP hard
Nanjing, CN hard
Nha Trang, VN hard
Okinawa, JP hard
Osaka, JP hard
Pattaya, TH hard
Penang, MY hard
Phnom Penh, KH hard
Pune, IN hard
Sapporo, JP hard
Seoul, KR hard
Shanghai, CN hard
Shenzhen, CN hard
Siem Reap, KH hard
Singapore, SG hard
Surabaya, ID hard
Surat, IN hard
Taipei, TW hard
Tashkent, UZ hard
Tbilisi, GE hard
Tokyo, JP hard
Ulaanbaatar, MN hard
Varanasi, IN hard
Vientiane, LA hard
Visakhapatnam, IN hard
Wuhan, CN hard
Xi'an, CN hard
Xiamen, CN hard
Yangon, MM hard

🌎 North America (78 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Albuquerque, US hard
Anchorage, US hard
Atlanta, US hard
Austin, US hard
Baltimore, US hard
Baton Rouge, US hard
Boise, US hard
Boston, US hard
Bridgetown, BB hard
Buffalo, US hard
Calgary, CA hard
Cancun, MX hard
Charleston, US hard
Charlotte, US hard
Chattanooga, US hard
Chicago, US hard
Denver, US hard
Des Moines, US hard
Detroit, US hard
Edmonton, CA hard
El Paso, US hard
Fargo, US hard
Fresno, US hard
Guadalajara, MX hard
Halifax, CA hard
Hartford, US hard
Havana, CU hard
Honolulu, US hard
Houston, US hard
Jacksonville, US hard
Kansas City, US hard
Kingston, JM hard
Knoxville, US hard
Las Vegas, US hard
Little Rock, US hard
Los Angeles, US hard
Louisville, US hard
Lubbock, US hard
Madison, US hard
Memphis, US hard
Mexico City, MX hard
Miami, US hard
Milwaukee, US hard
Minneapolis, US hard
Monterrey, MX hard
Montreal, CA hard
Nashville, US hard
New Orleans, US hard
New York, US hard
Oaxaca, MX hard
Oklahoma City, US hard
Omaha, US hard
Ottawa, CA hard
Panama City, PA hard
Phoenix, US hard
Pittsburgh, US hard
Portland, US hard
Puebla, MX hard
Quebec City, CA hard
Raleigh, US hard
Richmond, US hard
Sacramento, US hard
Salt Lake City, US hard
San Diego, US hard
San Francisco, US hard
San Jose, CR hard
Santo Domingo, DO hard
Saskatoon, CA hard
Savannah, US hard
Seattle, US hard
Spokane, US hard
St. Louis, US hard
Tampa, US hard
Toronto, CA hard
Tucson, US hard
Vancouver, CA hard
Victoria, CA hard
Winnipeg, CA hard

🌍 Africa (39 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Abidjan, CI hard
Accra, GH hard
Addis Ababa, ET hard
Algiers, DZ hard
Antananarivo, MG hard
Arusha, TZ hard
Bamako, ML hard
Bloemfontein, ZA hard
Cairo, EG hard
Cape Town, ZA hard
Casablanca, MA hard
Dakar, SN hard
Dar es Salaam, TZ hard
Douala, CM hard
Durban, ZA hard
Entebbe, UG hard
Fez, MA hard
Freetown, SL hard
Harare, ZW hard
Johannesburg, ZA hard
Kampala, UG hard
Kigali, RW hard
Kinshasa, CD hard
Lagos, NG hard
Libreville, GA hard
Lilongwe, MW hard
Lome, TG hard
Luanda, AO hard
Lusaka, ZM hard
Maputo, MZ hard
Marrakech, MA hard
Mombasa, KE hard
Nairobi, KE hard
Ouagadougou, BF hard
Port Louis, MU hard
Pretoria, ZA hard
Tunis, TN hard
Windhoek, NA hard
Zanzibar, TZ hard

🌎 South America (39 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Arequipa, PE hard
Asuncion, PY hard
Barranquilla, CO hard
Belem, BR hard
Bogota, CO hard
Brasilia, BR hard
Buenos Aires, AR hard
Cali, CO hard
Campinas, BR hard
Caracas, VE hard
Cartagena, CO hard
Concepcion, CL hard
Cordoba, AR hard
Curitiba, BR hard
Cusco, PE hard
Fortaleza, BR hard
Georgetown, GY hard
Goiania, BR hard
Guayaquil, EC hard
La Paz, BO hard
Lima, PE hard
Manaus, BR hard
Medellin, CO hard
Mendoza, AR hard
Montevideo, UY hard
Paramaribo, SR hard
Port of Spain, TT hard
Porto Alegre, BR hard
Quito, EC hard
Recife, BR hard
Rio de Janeiro, BR hard
Rosario, AR hard
Salvador, BR hard
Santa Cruz, BO hard
Santiago, CL hard
Sao Paulo, BR hard
Sucre, BO hard
Trujillo, PE hard
Valparaiso, CL hard

🌊 Oceania (19 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Adelaide, AU hard
Alice Springs, AU hard
Auckland, NZ hard
Brisbane, AU hard
Cairns, AU hard
Canberra, AU hard
Christchurch, NZ hard
Darwin, AU hard
Dunedin, NZ hard
Gold Coast, AU hard
Hamilton, NZ hard
Hobart, AU hard
Melbourne, AU hard
Noumea, NC hard
Perth, AU hard
Suva, FJ hard
Sydney, AU hard
Townsville, AU hard
Wellington, NZ hard

🕌 Middle East (16 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Abu Dhabi, AE hard
Amman, JO hard
Baghdad, IQ hard
Beirut, LB hard
Doha, QA hard
Dubai, AE hard
Erbil, IQ hard
Jeddah, SA hard
Kuwait City, KW hard
Manama, BH hard
Muscat, OM hard
Riyadh, SA hard
Sana'a, YE hard
Tabriz, IR hard
Tehran, IR hard
Tel Aviv, IL hard

When should I plant cardamom in my city?

The best time to plant cardamom depends on your local climate zone. It thrives in temperatures between 22°C and 30°C. Wait until after the last frost in your area. Check your city's planting calendar on GrowByCity for exact dates.

Can I grow cardamom in winter?

Cardamom is not frost tolerant and cannot survive winter outdoors in most temperate climates. In tropical areas (USDA Zones 10+), it may grow year-round.

Get Cardamom Seeds & Plants

Ready to start growing? Find Cardamom seeds and starter plants online.

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Similar Growing Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardamom

When should I plant cardamom?

The best time to plant cardamom depends on your local climate. Cardamom grows best in temperatures between 22°C and 30°C (can tolerate 15°C to 35°C). Cardamom is not frost tolerant, so wait until after the last frost in your area. Check your city's planting calendar on GrowByCity for exact planting months.

Can cardamom grow in tropical climates?

Yes! Cardamom can grow in tropical climates. It's successfully grown in tropical cities like Abidjan, Abu Dhabi, Accra. Cardamom requires partial shade ok and frequent watering.

How long does cardamom take to grow?

Cardamom typically takes 730-1095 days from planting to harvest. It requires partial shade ok and frequent watering. Needs shade, humidity, and warmth. Very slow to produce pods. Wait until soil warms to at least 22°C before transplanting outdoors — cold soil stunts growth and can invite root rot. Consistent moisture is critical. Mulch with straw or compost to retain soil moisture and keep roots cool during hot weather.

Find the Best Time to Plant Cardamom

See the planting calendar for Cardamom in these popular cities:

Last updated: March 2026 · Climate data from NOAA, FAO, USDA

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