Botanical illustration of Cardamom
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Home / Spices / Cardamom

🌱 Cardamom

Elettaria cardamomum
spices perennial rhizome
☀️ Sun
partial shade (understory)
💧 Water
high
🗺️ Zones
[10,11]
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.0
🪴 Soil Type
rich, moist, well-drained
📏 Spacing
3-6 ft
📐 Height
6-12 ft
⏱️ Maturity
2-3 years to first harvest

🤝 Companions (3)

🤝 Banana
Provides canopy shade for cardamom
🤝 Coffee
Both understory crops in same shade conditions; classic tropical polyculture
🤝 Ginger
Same family (Zingiberaceae); shared humidity and shade

⚠️ Keep Apart (2)

⚠️ Mint
Aggressive mint overwhelms young cardamom plants
⚠️ full-sun crops
Cardamom requires shade; direct sun scorches leaves

📝 Growing Notes

Third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla. Grown under rainforest canopy shade. Hand-harvested — each pod at perfect ripeness. Green cardamom (sweet, floral) vs. black cardamom (smoky, camphoraceous) — different species.

🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Johnny's Selected Seeds Botanical Interests True Leaf Market Burpee Territorial Seed Company

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