How to Grow Chamomile



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Days to germination: 7 to 14 days
Days to harvest: 30 days
Light requirements: Full sun or light shade
Water requirements: Occasional watering
Soil: Light sandy soil with good drainage
Container: Suitable

Introduction

Though chamomile is one of the best-known herbs for tea, it can be a bit confusing when it comes to the specific varieties. You can grow either German chamomile or Roman (English) chamomile but they are not the same plant. While they may be used interchangeably when making tea, the two plants are very different when it comes to how you grow them.

German chamomile is an annual, and it grows in a bushy shrub up to 3 feet tall. On the other hand, Roman chamomile is a perennial that only gets about a foot high and tends to grow along the ground. Though both will produce very similar aromatic blossoms, it’s German chamomile that is the more commonly grown for its blossoms. The information in this article will focus on how to grow the German variety in your garden.

Chamomile bushes have blooms with small white flowers with large yellow centers (like small daisies), and it has a distinctive apple-like aroma when in bloom. Though it can be grown in a flower bed, the blooms are very small compared to the large and rather wild-looking bush.

Chamomile tea is enjoyed for its taste, and as a home-remedy for stomach upset. It also can help you fall asleep in the evenings. There are no significant levels of any other nutrients in chamomile tea.

If you have hayfever or allergies to ragweed, you may find that chamomile has the same effect on you because they are closely related. That includes the plants growing outdoors, but also the tea you brew as well.

Starting from Seed

You can start your chamomile seeds indoors for later transplant, about 6 weeks before you are expecting the last frost of the winter. Start them in seed pots but don’t bury the seeds under the soil. They need light to sprout, so just sprinkle a few seeds in each pot right on the surface of your potting soil.

Keep them moist, and thin down to one per pot after they start to grow. Your seedlings should be kept in a sunny spot until its time to plant them. For container growing, you can sprout your seeds directly into their final pot if kept indoors until after the frosts are past.

Transplanting

You’ll want to keep your little seedlings about 12 to 18 inches apart when you plant them. Sunny locations are best for chamomile but they will do just fine with a little bit of shade as well. Plant them into the garden after the last frost is over.

Though an annual that will only survive for one year, chamomile will readily seed itself. That means you can have an ongoing patch of chamomile if you let some of the blossoms go to seed rather than picking them all. If you take this route, plan your location with the intention of having a permanent chamomile bed.

You can also plant your chamomile seeds directly into the garden, rather than starting transplants if you prefer. In that case, you can either sow your seeds in the early spring or even put the seeds out in the fall to overwinter.

Growing Instructions

Chamomile isn’t a very heavy feeder, and you should only need to add a bit of standard fertilizer right at planting. Unless you have very poor soil, you don’t need to fertilize through the season.

Your plants will likely thrive without additional watering though they can use more water once they start to bloom, or during any prolonged bout of hot dry weather.

Containers

Chamomile grows very well in containers, though is a little large for most window-sill herb gardens. Each plant should have a 12-inch pot to itself, and the soil should be well-drained with some added sand. Water the plants occasionally, maybe once a week.

Since chamomile does seed very well, and has a tendency to spread around the garden, many gardeners keep their chamomile in pots. You can keep your plant a bit more under control, and grow your chamomile in a location that it can’t spread (such as a patio or deck).

In the garden, it will self-seed and keep your patch growing. In a container, this isn’t likely to happen. So you should collect a few seeds in order to replant more chamomile the next season if you want to perpetuate your plants.

Pests and Diseases

Not very many insects will bother your chamomile plants, and they even repel cucumber beetles (so plant near the veggie garden).

You do sometimes find clusters of tiny aphids on chamomile but they are not much of a threat. They are easy to spray off with the regular garden hose, or a little bit of insecticide spray can help control the bugs. Only use pesticides intended for fruits or vegetables, and don’t spray right before you intend to pick your flowers.

Harvest and Storage

Your plants can bloom all through the summer, so there isn’t any one specific harvest time. Most plants will start to put out flowers about a month after planting.

Harvesting your chamomile flowers is a tedious task, but worth the effort. You only want the blossoms, not their stems which means you have to pick them quite carefully. Of course, you can always go through your chamomile after picking to remove any extra bits of stem later. You can use fresh flowers for tea, but it’s more typical to dry them before use.

Spread them out somewhere warm and well-ventilated to thoroughly dry. Direct sunlight can harm the chamomile oils, so don’t just leave them out in the sun to dry. Indoors is usually best. Once dry, you can store chamomile flowers in a sealed container for a year.

When making tea, you’ll need approximately 1 teaspoon of dried flowers per up. For brewing with fresh chamomile blossoms, use almost twice that. Add a little honey for sweetness.

33 Responses to “How to Grow Chamomile”

  1. Chef_Rach  Says:

    I am growing the Roman camomile. My sister and I tasted it both fresh and dry. Both times it tasted really bad. It had such a strong bitter flavor that I could not drink it. I did dry it correctly. Do you possibley know why it tasted this bad? Thank you.

  2. Gina  Says:

    Have just read that Roman Chamomile is a little bitter, German Chamomile is sweeter.

  3. Annelise  Says:

    It’s just the way Chamomile tastes. I suggest drinking it with local honey (good to sweeten and ward off allergies) and a few drops of honey to cut through the honey for easier drinking and a bit of extra flavor. Then you’ll taste the chamomile, which is really quite delicious and relaxing!

  4. helen  Says:

    we have just discovered that the profusion of flowers in our “wild bit” of garden is in fact looking more and more likely to be chamomile – I have always wanted to grow this and now see that nature has provided. What I would like to ask though is there any way I can transplant a plant and put it somewhere else (like the herb patch) – it seems they come back every year but in spain I also know by Jun- July I know all the flowers become quite burnt out and I want to put some in a protected area. Any advice would be wonderful, Thank you so much x

  5. Glenda  Says:

    Hi Helen!

    I have wild chamomile growing in my yard. It is pretty tall, so I assume it is the German kind. Last year it came up all on its own, and I let it get bigger. This year it came back in the same spot and other places (including in some pots where I didn’t want it). My b/f accidentally pulled a whole bunch of it thinking it was a weed, at the very beginning of the season. He pulled it roughly, and it sat out for a few hours. Afterwards, he proposed to try and put it back in the ground because the roots had come up with it. He did, and it came out fine.

    Long story short: I am positive you can dig it out, especially when it’s still little, and just replant it somewhere you actually want it.

  6. Nikki Fotheringham  Says:

    The German chamomile is sweeter, but a less prolific flowerer. So if you want to use it for tea, either have many plants or use a mix of the Roman and German varieties.

  7. Evon  Says:

    German Chamomile is best harvested for consumption. Possibly the tea was bitter because it was picked too early. Wait until the white petals are drooping down. Dry indoors. I add honey and ginger to achieve the most medicinal value.

  8. Dottie Washington  Says:

    How can I get my chamomile to bloom inside of my house?

    Thanks

    Dottie

  9. Yuki  Says:

    I have been growing Roman Chamomile. I noticed that on its leaves, there are purplish-reddish spots on it. The spots look suspicious and I’m worried for my flowers. I havent read anywhere if they’re normal or not.

  10. Nagwan Koroma  Says:

    Can it grow in countries like Sierra Leone west africa where we have tropical Climate?
    If yes, when exactly. we only have two seasons: the raing and the dry?

  11. adarsha pradhan  Says:

    Dear Sir/madam

    I want to have commercial production in Nepal.Where can I get germany chamomile seeds.Has its market?

    With regards

    Adarsha

  12. Arlene  Says:

    You can buy seeds at Amazon.com. The seeds are tiny and 20,000 seeds are about $10.00 USD. I bought them twice as the first time I put them directly into the ground and the sun dried them out. Now I have them in shallow containers to keep them moist, in full sun, and cover them when temps fall to 40? ?F.

  13. patrickf  Says:

    where can you find chamomile growing? i found several chamomile plants growing on a beach in ireland

  14. arjan  Says:

    Can we use leaves and flowers of german chamomile to prepare tea?

  15. arjan  Says:

    Can we use leaves and stiems of german chamomilie to prepare tea?

  16. k morris  Says:

    if you pick anything when it is bolting (seeding)it will be bitter tasting-must pick off seed heads off any foodplant or herb,seeding will ruin the taste.

  17. LC  Says:

    Arjan, you use only the flowers to make the tea.
    I brought some from Albania and it’s so sweet. Here in Boston, I haven’t been able to find chamomile as good and flavorful as the one I brought from back home.

  18. Hope keener  Says:

    Those are really good instructions.

  19. Tiffany  Says:

    Has anyone had any issues with mushrooms growing when they potted chamomile seeds? I have no idea how they started growing, but the entire pot is full of tiny mushrooms.

    Any advice on how to handle? Will the chamomile still grow or should I start over?

  20. Pagan Raven  Says:

    Tiffany – just for future reference, mushroom spores can travel quiet a long ways in the wind. That’s most likely what happened.
    It won’t harm your chamomile BUT you do want to pick out any mushrooms you see sprouting. If left in the pot, they will crowd out the chamomile.

  21. Mandy James  Says:

    Hi, I was wondering why my German Chamomile was having droopy flowers. Does this mean they’re ready to pick or are they sick? Also, I only have one plant; do you think that will be enough for a good amount of tea for winter?

  22. Mandy James  Says:

    My German Chamomile is full of droopy flower petals; does this mean that I can pick them yet? Also, do I need more than one plant to have enough tea for winter? Thanks!

  23. Carley  Says:

    Hi! I just wanted to post that I have grown my German Chamomile for 4 years in a decent size container that sits on my deck. I live in Pittsburgh Pa and we have pretty intense winters, however, every year I have left the chamomile plant in its container outside on the deck throughout the winter. And each spring it comes back with vengeance. The only problems I have ever had with it is that the little black ants love it. They haven’t harmed it in anyway, they are just unsightly.

  24. Chris  Says:

    Droopy flowers mean the chamomile is ready to pick.

  25. Keith Jones  Says:

    Hi, bought Chamomile seeds from Amazon and they arrived from Beiging, China am I OK to start propogating them? is there a Chinese Chamomile? sorry if these are silly questions – bit of a gardening novice 🙁

  26. Vicky  Says:

    Any chance chamomile will grow in ft worth Texas?

  27. Ascent  Says:

    Vicky, I’m in the South too. Your problem in ft worth will be the hot, parched summer. Yes, a rainy summer may occur but don’t count on it and, eventually, pro-longed sun and heat will succumb your plants. Either go with pots that can be moved as needed to keep them from burning and drying out or, consider a shade screen or overhead light-diffusing structure. The difference will be remarkable and you’ll grow all summer long!

  28. Mel  Says:

    Thanks for all your insightful comments about chamomile. I don’t know which variety I have but it’s in the ground – from plant since May and hasn’t bloomed yet. Big, bushy, light green – looks really healthy. I water every day. Maybe too much water for it to go to flower? Can anyone help? thanks!

  29. Eric  Says:

    Can I grow the Roman chamomile in the tropics like the Caribbean?

  30. Eric  Says:

    Can I grow chamomile in the Caribbean (tropics)?

  31. Corinne  Says:

    Chamomile is more bitter when it is dried, and sweeter when fresh. Dried chamomile acts more on the liver and digestive sysem, and when fresh has more of an action on the nervous system with a relaxing effect. Have you tried it as a tea fresh?

  32. Crystal  Says:

    In February, I’ll be giving a talk on Herbal Teas. Chamomile is one of the easiest ones to grow. So, I’ll be using a commercial tea bag. Break it open and there will be more seeds than I’ll need. But, I’ll be able to start some 4″ pots to give to all those in attendance. Cheap way to get it going.

  33. jacklyne  Says:

    which type of chamomile can grow in africa specifically in kenya?would like to grow them in large scale thanxs,jackie

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