Would you like fresh chamomile tea from your own garden? No problem, because chamomile is very easy to grow.
The cultivation of native wild herbs such as chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is worthwhile for a variety of reasons. The beautiful wild herbs can be used in the kitchen and serve as a source of food for the bees. Since chamomile is a rather undemanding plant, you too will soon be able to brew your own chamomile tea without much effort. Here are tips and tricks on how to plant real chamomile in the garden.
Planting chamomile: The right location
A location with lots of light is ideal for chamomile, preferably in full sun. But even a little less light hardly affects growth. It is more important to consider the soil conditions. Loamy, silty soils are ideal. The ground should not be too sandy. A pH value of around seven and a high nutrient and humus content is also good for chamomile. If the soil does not have this property, you can help with the incorporation of high-quality soil. For example, our Plantura organic universal soil is suitable for this, which has a loose structure and a high water storage capacity and contains important nutrients. It is also ideal for planting camomile in pots. However, a drainage layer should be laid on the bottom of the pot and about 15% sand should be mixed in to improve the permeability.
Sowing of camomile
Camomile is usually sown directly outdoors. The first seedlings can already be seen after four to five days under suitable conditions. Since the chamomile seedlings are slightly sensitive to frost, it is best not to sow them before the beginning of May. From the beginning of March, seeds can also be sown indoors in a bright location. Then the young plants can also be planted outdoors from mid-May. Whether indoors or outdoors: When sowing, the seed must not be covered with substrate. This would be a disadvantage with chamomile, since it germinates in the light. Prepare the ground by helping othersRemove plants and root debris and loosen the soil slightly with a rake. Then the chamomile seeds are distributed, rolled and well moistened. The chamomile can be sown as a flowering scented lawn or planted individually. If the chamomile plants are to stand alone, a distance of about 20 cm is recommended. At 15 - 20 °C the chamomile seeds germinate after one to two weeks.
Tip: To grow chamomile indoors, it is best to use special growing soil, such as our Plantura organic herb & seed soil. Because the lower nutrient content helps the plants develop stronger roots.
Alternatively, camomile can also be sown outdoors in autumn. It then germinates before winter and the leaf rosettes have to be brought through the cold season. Although the rosettes are hardy, they should be protected from low temperatures by a layer of foliage mulch.
If the chamomile flowers at its location, chamomile will grow again in the same place through self-sowing. Unless you want to make use of the effects and possible uses of chamomile as a medicinal plant. For these purposes, the flowers must be harvested before seed maturity occurs.
Can you plant chamomile from tea bags? No, growing chamomile from tea bags will most likely not be worthwhile. The dried flowers are usually used for chamomile tea because they contain many beneficial ingredients. Since the fruit ripens, and thus the seeds form, only after the flowering period, there are usually no chamomile seeds in the tea bags.
At a glance: sowing camomile
- Choose a suitable location
- Improve soil if necessary
- Remove root remains and weeds, loosen the soil slightly
- Distribute seeds, do not cover with soil
- Press the seeds lightly and water them
Prick out and plant out
Camomile usually tolerates no-till outdoors best, because transplanting and pricking out cause stress for the plants. However, advance breeding is possible. If you have preferred chamomile in the house,the plants will eventually be big enough to be transplanted into the garden or into their own pot. Start pricking out when the first leaves appear after the cotyledons. If the chamomile is to be transplanted into a container, it is advisable to create a drainage layer beforehand. From the end of April, the plantlets can then also be placed in the flower bed. A distance of about 15 cm should be maintained between the individual specimens. Now a small hole is dug so that the seedling disappears almost to the base of the leaf in the ground. The hole is filled with substrate and this is then cast on.
Good neighbors: what to plant next to chamomile?
Chamomile is actually particularly good in the vegetable patch, because it goes well with potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), leeks (Allium porrum ), kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) and other cabbage types as well as nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) . It can help ward off fungi and pests. Aphids, for example, like to infest the nasturtium, which does not suffer and thus keeps the little creatures away from other plants.
Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) and chamomile don't get along very well. This is partly due to their ingredients, which are also released into the soil and the environment. Chamomile does not tolerate the substances in peppermint particularly well and is thus inhibited in its growth. Other plants, in turn, promote each other through this exchange of substances. Such a mixed culture has a positive effect on the growth of the plant partners.
Read this article for more information on harvesting and storing chamomile.