The illustrated growing guide
Matricaria chamomilla
Family Asteraceae
Grown as an annual
Fifty flower-heads dry to a handful, so plant a wide patch. Self-sows politely forever after year one — apple-scented lawn edges and free bedtime tea for life.
Full Sun
Low water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
None winter chill
From the print shop
Our Garden Blooms collection carries german chamomile — Matricaria chamomilla, print Nº 13, “Chamomile.”
16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed
I
Will german chamomile suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what german chamomile actually needs.
Life cycleAnnual
II
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
Field-tested instructions for every job german chamomile asks of you, compiled from university extension guidance — in the order the season brings them.
Surface sow in early spring - do not bury the seed
Scatter seed on a firmed, weed-free bed in early spring and press it into the surface without covering it (UW-Madison Extension: 'The seeds need light to germinate, so surface sow and press into the soil'). Keep the surface damp until seedlings appear. Montana State's WARC notes that succession plantings may be made to spread the harvest out rather than taking one flush - sow a further patch once the previous one is up and growing away. Chamomile seed needs light to germinate, so any soil over the top simply stops it. Montana State's trials seeded in early spring because the seedlings tolerate a light frost, which gets the plants flowering before the worst summer heat.
Move starts out while they are still small
If you started seed indoors, set the plants out while they are still young - Montana State's WARC sowed in the greenhouse on April 8 and transplanted to the field on May 15, about five weeks - at 8 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. Grow them in individual cells or containers rather than an open flat so the roots come out intact. Start indoors roughly 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date and set out after that date. Larger chamomile plants do not transplant well, so they are either grown individually in containers or moved while small; the small ones establish without a check and catch up and pass the big ones.
Water through seedling establishment, then ease off
Keep the bed evenly moist from sowing until the seedlings are a few inches tall and clearly growing away. After that, water only in real drought - established chamomile carries itself on far less. The seed sits on the surface and the seedling roots are shallow, so a single dry spell at establishment is what usually kills a chamomile stand outright.
Skip the feeding - chamomile wants poor ground
Do not work fertilizer into a chamomile bed. Well-drained soil in full sun is the whole requirement. If you are following a heavily manured crop, expect tall floppy plants and plan to sow somewhere leaner next year. Chamomile thrives in poor soil and needs minimal fertilizer; pushing it with nitrogen buys leaf and stem, which is not the part you harvest.
Check the shoot tips for aphids
Every week or so, turn over the growing tips and look for clusters of aphids. Chamomile has few pest problems other than aphids, and light colonies on a vigorous stand rarely justify doing anything; knock heavy ones off with a jet of water or pinch out the worst tips. Aphids feed on the soft tips and flower stalks, and it is the only pest that reliably shows up on this crop - so a quick tip check is the whole scouting program.
⚠ Do not spray insecticide on chamomile. The flowers you harvest are open blooms that bees are working, and the crop is in bloom for its entire harvest window - there is no safe spray timing here.
Pick the heads at full bloom, and keep picking
Snip or rake off just the flower heads, no stem, once they are at or near full bloom - a practical field cue is that the white rays start folding back from the yellow center. Go over the planting every few days by hand; Montana State's WARC raked its stand and repeated every 10 days. Dry the heads promptly in a warm, well-ventilated place out of direct sun, spread thin enough that they never heat - flowers must be dried carefully to avoid discoloration or heating. Flower quality is best at or near full bloom and falls off as the head ages toward seed. Stripping the heads is also what keeps the plant flowering - UW-Madison Extension notes plants readily self-seed unless all flower heads are removed.
⚠ Per NC State Extension, Matricaria chamomilla 'can cause allergic skin reactions or oral swelling to those with ragweed allergies' and can cause contact dermatitis or oral swelling in those sensitive to it. It is in the same family as ragweed - handle and drink cautiously the first time.
III
What german chamomile asks for, month by month.
BloomWhat each band means
The german chamomile year as text
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
IV
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
✓ Commonly eatenragweed-allergy folks: caution
Flowers only — pluck heads every 2-3 days at full open. About 60-65 days from planting.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
V
Named varieties of german chamomile, ruled as a catalogue.
3 on file
Named varieties of german chamomile differ in days to maturity, disease resistance, flavor, and habit — pick one that fits your season and space.
Sweet, classic apple-scented chamomile — German bred selection trialed at Montana State's Western Agricultural Research Center. Its upright habit is what makes it the standard choice where flowers are raked or machine harvested rather than picked by hand.
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Trialed alongside Bodegold at Montana State's Western Agricultural Research Center, where it flowered earlier but grew with a spreading rather than upright habit, which suits hand picking better than raking.
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Aromatic, slightly less sweet than Bodegold — Polish tetraploid cultivar bred for commercial flower production. Flowers are ready to gather when the petals fall back from the center, and a blueberry rake works well on it. Will self sow if left unharvested.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
VI
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
No extension citations are attached to german chamomileyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
VII
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
VIII
German Chamomile questions, answered straight.
German Chamomile is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. One caveat on this one: ragweed-allergy folks: caution. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
Flowers only — pluck heads every 2-3 days at full open. From planting, expect about 60-65 days to maturity.
From seed.
IX
Where german chamomile sits in the library.
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