How to grow Chamomile

Matricaria chamomilla · German chamomile

A hardy annual herb grown for its small daisy-like flowers, used for tea. Seedlings stand frost, so it can be sown in autumn or in early spring; it flowers from early summer.

Quick facts

Type	Herb
Family	Asteraceae
Light	Full sun
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 5 °C
Germination	10 days
Seedlings ready	30 days
Sowing to harvest	55 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 6 weeks before planting out.

It tolerates light frost: plant out in open ground about three weeks before your last spring frost.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 55 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 3 days	—	—
Flowering	every 3 days	—	—
Harvest	every 3 days	—	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	—
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—
Harvest	every 7 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 3 days	—	—
Flowering	every 3 days	—	—
Harvest	every 3 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Needs full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light a day.

Soil

Light, well-drained soil that does not get waterlogged; grows well even in poor soil and is not fussy about pH.

Care

Scatter the seed thinly on the surface and press it in without covering, as it needs light to germinate; keep the surface moist until seedlings appear. Thin to 15 cm apart. Water young plants until they are well rooted, then only in long dry spells; no feeding is needed. Pick the flowers when newly and fully open; regular picking brings more flowers.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.