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Tending the crop…
🌸 Flower
How to Grow Chamomile
The calm-your-kitchen herb — apple-scented flowers for tea, a self-sowing annual that improves everything it touches. Grow it near brassicas; its scent is the classic companion-planting choice.
Harvest
90 Days
Sunlight
full
Watering
low
Medium
in-ground, container, or raised-bed
Spacing
1 sq ft
-100%
Return on Investment
One chamomile plant produces roughly 0 lbs. Worth $0.00 vs a $3.99 seed cost.
Practical Maintenance
- Light: Full Sun (6+ hrs/day)
- Water: Low — drought tolerant once established
- Spacing: 1 sq ft per plant.
Champion Varieties
Lineages for your homestead goals
German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
The annual tea chamomile — self-sows eagerly, best for harvest.
Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
The creeping perennial lawn chamomile — good for paths and edging.
Double Flowered
A showier German type with fully double white blooms.
Guilds & Companions
Complete Care Guide
Soil · Water · First 30 days · Monthly care · Troubleshooting · Harvest
Soil
Light, sandy, well-draining soil. pH 5.6–7.5. Chamomile is a Mediterranean herb that likes lean, gritty ground and hates wet feet. Roman chamomile makes a lawn; German chamomile is the annual you harvest for tea.
Watering
1/2 inch per week until established, then almost nothing. Chamomile's roots rot in heavy, wet soil — in clay, plant on a mound or in a raised bed and let it dry out between drinks.
🗓️ The First 30 Days
- Days 1–7Sow seeds shallowly — barely cover with soil — 8–10 weeks before last frost indoors, or direct sow in early spring. Seed is dust-fine; mix with sand to sow evenly.
- Days 8–14Keep the seedbed misted, never soaked. Germination takes 7–14 days; chamomile seed also needs light, so don't bury it.
- Days 15–21Thin to 8–12 inches apart. Pinch the first flower heads to force a bushier plant — the same discipline as basil.
- Days 22–30Plant out after frost in full sun. Chamomile is forgiving of poor soil but not of competition — keep it weeded while small.
📆 Monthly Care
- Month 1