Chamomile: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow camomile outdoors?
Check the botanical name before sowing your chamomile. German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla, is annual; Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, is perennial. They do not return through the same life cycle. A non-flowering selection intended for ground cover does not necessarily propagate from seed: choose a packet that matches your intended use.
For outdoor sowing, wait for warm soil in spring and choose a sunny place with light, well-drained ground. Weed thoroughly, prepare a fine surface and moisten it. Scatter the tiny seeds sparingly over the surface. They need light to germinate, so press gently to give them contact with the soil without burying them.
Water with a fine spray and maintain even moisture during emergence without standing water. Protect young shoots from slugs and watch for competing weeds. Once the seedlings are easy to handle, thin to around fifteen centimetres, adjusting for the type grown. Label the species so you can follow their development. In German chamomile, new self-sown seedlings do not mean that the original plant has become a perennial.
When does chamomile flower?
Chamomile flowers mainly in summer, but the start and length of flowering depend on the species, sowing time and climate. Do not treat a period of two or three months as a guarantee. Watch the buds and then the opening flower heads: in single-flowered forms, white rays surround a yellow disc. The heads do not all open at the same time.
Check which chamomile you are growing. German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla, is an annual and completes its life cycle after producing seeds. Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, is a perennial, with flowering stems rising above more spreading foliage. The ground-cover selection ‘Treneague’ does not flower: a lack of buds is normal for this form, even in full sun.
During flowering, watch for prolonged drying, especially in pots, and water at the base when needed without waterlogging the soil. A sunny position encourages flowering; routine feeding is unnecessary. Remove faded heads to encourage further flowers, or keep a few if you want fertile forms to produce seeds. Avoid cutting off all the stems that still carry unopened buds.
How do you harvest camomile?
Harvest chamomile flower heads when they have just opened, throughout the summer flowering period. Choose healthy flowers and wait for dew or rain to dry. Pick the heads with your fingers or snip them with small, clean scissors, without pulling up the stems. Return regularly, as the flowers do not all reach the right stage on the same day.
Check that you are growing Roman or German chamomile intended for this use. The ground-cover form ‘Treneague’ does not flower, so it provides no heads to harvest. Leave some flowers on the plants if you also want to enjoy visiting insects or collect seeds. Regular picking of open flowers can extend production, depending on the plant's condition.
Use fresh flowers promptly or spread them in a single layer on a clean tray to dry. Put it in a warm, dry, ventilated place, out of direct sunlight. Check that the centres of the heads are fully dry before storing them in an airtight jar somewhere cool and dark. Record the species and harvest date; discard any mouldy or spoiled flowers.
Chamomile
- Type : Flowers
- Botanical Family : Asteraceae (daisy family)
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
- Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
- Mature height : 40 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
- Sowing Depth : 1 cm
- Plant Spacing : 25 cm
- Row Spacing : 25 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Low
- Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing