How to Grow Chamomiles USA | Planting & Establishment

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: well-drained, tolerates light soil that drains freely (RHS)

Soil pH range

6 7.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Sowing	0	Sow seed thinly on the surface of damp, peat-free seed compost in spring -- seeds need light to germinate (RHS).
Mat-forming foliage establishment	3	Develops finely divided, aromatic, mat-forming foliage; regular trimming keeps growth compact and bushy (RHS).
Flowering	6	Chamomile grows quickly and can start flowering in as little as ten weeks (RHS).
Establishment to maturity	9	Reaches full maturity over 2-5 years as a perennial mat (RHS).

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Soil pH	6 - 7.5
Sunlight	5-5 hours direct sun
Soil texture	chalk, loam or sand (RHS)
Drainage	well-drained
Lifecycle	perennial
Edible parts	flowers, leaves

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Harvest the small white daisy-like flowers as they open, traditionally dried for chamomile tea; aromatic leaves can also be used. Plants begin flowering in as little as ten weeks from sowing (RHS).

Chamomile, a Mat-Forming Perennial Herb

White petals, yellow centre

RHS: white, yellow-centred daisy-like flowers about 1.5cm across, held above finely divided, aromatic foliage.

Generally pest-free and disease-free

RHS records chamomile as generally pest-free and generally disease-free -- one of the lowest-maintenance herbs on the site.

Flowers in as little as ten weeks

RHS: chamomile grows quickly and should start flowering in as little as ten weeks from sowing.

A low, mat-forming perennial

RHS: a mat-forming herbaceous perennial reaching just 0.1-0.5m in height and spread, taking 2-5 years to reach full maturity.

A magnet for pollinators

Chamomile's open, yellow-centred flowers are popular with butterflies and other pollinating insects.

References

1. RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) - Chamaemelum nobile | common chamomile

   A mat-forming herbaceous perennial with finely divided, aromatic foliage and white, yellow-centred daisy-like flowers 1.5cm across. Native to Western Europe and Northwest Africa, including Great Britain and Ireland. Hardiness H7 (hardy in the severest European continental climates, below -20C). Full sun or partial shade. Soil: chalk, loam or sand; well-drained; acid, alkaline or neutral pH. Height and spread 0.1-0.5m. Time to maturity 2-5 years. Propagated by seed or division (division for non-flowering cultivars). Generally pest-free and generally disease-free. Aromatic leaves used as a culinary herb for tea and traditional herbal preparations; flowers are the part traditionally dried for chamomile tea. Regular trimming maintains compact, bushy growth.

1 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.