Growing Chamomile: How to Grow Chamomile from Seed
Who doesn’t love the delicate, daisy-like flowers of chamomile, and especially the calming tea? Growing chamomile for the first time in our 2021 garden was one of the easiest things we did. I’ll happily share my best tips on how to grow chamomile from seed.
Chamomile seeds are tiny yet they produce robust little plants that transplanted just fine for us from egg cartons to our raspberry patch. Truth be told, I should’ve transplanted the chamomile seedlings outside way before I did, but better late than never.
Lessons learned, and all that.
Speaking of, I’m happy to share our experience so you can also learn how to grow chamomile from seed. Of course, if you’ve already done so and have additional tips to share, we always love your helpful comments!
Is chamomile easy to grow from seed?
Chamomile is very easy to grow from seed, much like many flowers, veggies, and herbs. You just need the usual seed starting mix, containers, chamomile seeds, and water, plus a bright spot for them to grow.
When do you plant chamomile seeds?
When sowing chamomile seeds outdoors directly, be sure to plant chamomile after the last threat of frost has passed. If you plan to grow chamomile seeds indoors, you can start them 6 to 8 weeks before you would transplant them outside.
How to Grow Chamomile from Seed
Starting chamomile seeds indoors doesn’t take much time or effort. In fact, learning how to grow chamomile is much like planting any other seeds – you simply just need to learn what these particular seeds need to thrive.
Follow these steps for growing chamomile seeds indoors.
- Prepare your seed pots, trays, egg cartons, or other containers with moist, prewetted potting soil. Fill about 1/2 to 2/3 full
- Plant the chamomile seeds only about 1/2 inch deep. Place the seeds on top of the soil and cover lightly the rest of the way.
- Lightly water with a spray bottle to dampen the soil down to the chamomile seeds.
- Label the seed cells or pots with the type of chamomile and date if desired.
- Place the seeds under grow lights or in a sunny window.
- Keep the soil moist and check daily for signs of growth.
Tips on Growing Chamomile from Seed
When growing chamomile from seed, follow a few tips to help ensure the success of your crop.
- If chamomile seedlings crowd each other, consider separating and transplanting instead of thinning.
- Harden off seedlings before transplanting outside.
- Plant your seedlings in a location with full sun or partial afternoon shade.
- Aim to water chamomile seedlings and young plants an inch of water per week until they get established. Once established, they are more drought tolerant and most likely won’t need as much water.
- For best results, try to use a rich, well-draining soil for chamomile plants.
Our Thoughts on Growing Chamomile
In our experience, chamomile pretty much took care of itself.
One thing I will do differently this year is to make a point to actually harvest the chamomile! I enjoyed the delicate little white and yellow flowers so much that I didn’t harvest but a few.
Do you have experience planting chamomile seeds or growing chamomile plants in the garden? Any questions or tips to share?
Feel free to drop us a comment – we love hearing from you!
By the way, if you love edible flowers and flowering herbs, you might also want to check out our post on planting borage seeds!
Happy Gardening!
