Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
German Chamomile is an herbaceous annual flower well known for their petite yellow & white daisy-like flowers. Their aroma is similar to the scent of sweet pineapple and apple and it blooms abundantly and regularly during the late spring and throughout the summer. German Chamomile is drought tolerant and compact in size, making it easy to grow in large containers on the porch or sown directly into your garden beds. This is the preferred variety of Chamomile for making herbal teas and taking cut flowers to use in craft-good products like salves, soaps, sachets, potpourri and edible flavoring. Chamomile attracts a wide range of beneficial insects, bees and butterflies, making it a must-have in your flower or herb garden. Grow it along side Common Milkweed and other flowering plants to make your own ultimate butterfly waystation for Monarchs & pollinators of all kinds!
NAME: Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
VARIETY: German
DAYS TO MATURITY: 60 – 70 days
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 3 – 12
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun / Partial Sun
SOIL: Average, well-draining soils with a pH 5.6 – 7.5
PLANT HEIGHT: 2 – 3 feet
SPACING: 8 – 12 inches
TEMP: 45-95 °F
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
If you are in an area with a short growing season, plan to start your chamomile seeds indoors 2 to 3 weeks before your last local spring frost.
Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep into large pots or cell trays filled with moistened seed starting soil mix, then generously water in the seeds.
During germination, keep the soil moist and the temperature above 55°F. Providing a heat mat under the trays may help germinate the seeds if you are keeping the trays/pots in a cool area. Seeds will sprout in 7 to 14 days.
As soon as the seedlings emerge, provide plenty of light on a sunny windowsill or place the trays/pots 3 inches beneath fluorescent/LED plant lights turned on 15 hours, off for 9 hours, raising the light up as they get larger.
Before transplanting outdoors, harden off seedlings for several days. Do this by taking them outside during the day and bringing them in at night (Outside temps should be above 50°F when you start this process).
When the seedlings have at least four leaves you can transplant them outdoors into a weed-free garden bed in an area which receives mostly full sunlight.
Direct sow seeds outdoors once temps reach 50°F and above consistently.
Sow several seeds every 6 inches in rows, pressing the soil down lightly.
Water seeds in generously; it is important to keep the soil continuously moist until the seedlings germinate.
Seedlings will emerge in 7to 15.
Thin out so 3 to 5 seedlings are bunched together and spaced 6 inches apart in rows spaced 12 to 24 inches apart.
Once seedlings become several inches tall you can switch to watering lightly every day and eventually just every other day.
Prepare your garden beds by removing weeds, adding compost and leveling the soil; lightly till the top few inches of soil if compacted; your soil beds should be fairly loose and well-draining. Chamomile prefers sandy, dry soils.
German Chamomile is relatively low-maintenance but may benefit from occasional fertilization with a balanced fertilizer during the growing season.
Prune or deadhead spent flowers regularly to promote continuous blooming and prevent self-seeding.
Harvest German Chamomile flowers when they are fully open and at their peak freshness, typically in the morning.
Gently pinch or snip off the flower heads, leaving some stem attached.
Use freshly harvested flowers immediately or dry them for later use in teas, tinctures, or other herbal preparations.
Store dried German Chamomile flowers in an airtight container in a cool, dark place away from moisture and sunlight for best preservation.
