A self-seeding annual herb bearing apple-scented flowers that dry well for tea and attract beneficial insects throughout the season.
Matricaria chamomilla · also called German chamomile, scented mayweed
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Chamomile flowers continuously from late spring through summer, providing a steady harvest for drying. Its open-faced flowers draw parasitic wasps and hoverflies that suppress aphid populations in nearby beds.
A little history. Native to southern and eastern Europe and western Asia; naturalized widely. Flowers contain hollow, cone-shaped receptacles — a reliable field distinction from Roman chamomile, which has solid receptacles.
Aim for 6 inches (15 cm) between plants once thinned. Press seeds onto the soil surface — they need light to germinate. Mist daily to keep the top quarter-inch moist until sprouts appear. Seedlings emerge in 7–14 days.
Water when the top inch of soil feels dry; roughly once or twice a week in warm weather. Water when leaves begin to look slightly dull or stems lose their upright posture. Aim for about 1 inch per week including rain.
A single light feeding at planting is usually sufficient; side-dress (scatter fertilizer along the row and water in) once if growth looks pale. What to use: low-nitrogen balanced compost or a 5–5-5 organic granular; excess nitrogen favors foliage over flowers.
Deadhead (remove spent flowers) regularly to extend the flowering period. Once roughly one-third of flowers on a plant show petals reflexing (bending sharply back toward the stem), allow those heads to mature and drop seed for next year's volunteers.
It's ready when petals are fully open and just beginning to reflex (bend back toward the stem); the central yellow cone feels slightly springy when pressed. Harvest in the morning after dew dries. Pinch or snip individual flower heads with a short stem. A wide-toothed herb rake drawn through the plant can speed harvest when many heads are ready simultaneously. Harvest every 2–3 days during peak bloom.
Spread flowers in a single layer on a mesh rack and dry at 95–105 °F (35–41 °C) or in a well-ventilated room out of direct light for 1–2 weeks. Store dried flowers in an airtight container away from heat and light; use within 12 months.
Sow a second batch 3–4 weeks after the first for a longer harvest window. Chamomile self-seeds freely — allow a few heads to mature and drop for a near-automatic succession.
Basil
Chamomile's open-faced flowers feed hoverflies and tiny parasitic wasps, and those hunters often reduce aphid numbers on nearby basil tips. Both plants want full sun and the same light watering, so they share a bed comfortably.
Dill
Both carry small, shallow flowers that feed hoverflies, lacewings, and tiny parasitic wasps — the insects that clean aphids and small caterpillars off neighbouring crops. Letting the two bloom together broadens the nectar window across the season.
Cabbage
Chamomile in flower draws in the small parasitic wasps that lay eggs in cabbageworms, which can lower caterpillar damage on the heads. Keep the chamomile at the row edge so it does not shade young cabbage plants.
Onion
Gardeners have long tucked a few chamomile plants among onion rows, and old charts keep recommending it, though no mechanism has been demonstrated. It does no harm: chamomile's fine roots and small footprint leave onions their space.
Cucumber
Cucumbers set fruit only when bees move pollen from male to female flowers, and a steady patch of chamomile bloom nearby can help keep bees working that corner of the garden. Plant it beside the trellis, not under it.
Fennel
Fennel roots release substances that stunt most garden plants growing close by, and small seedlings like chamomile suffer first. Grow fennel in its own corner well away from the bed — its flowers still feed hoverflies and tiny parasitic wasps from a distance.
Peppermint
Chamomile is a light, shallow-rooted plant that mint runners quickly crowd out, and mint's dense leafy growth shades the low chamomile flowers. Give chamomile its own space where it can reseed without being overrun.
Spearmint
Old charts keep these two herbs apart, without a demonstrated reason behind it. The practical concern is simpler: low, self-sowing chamomile is quickly buried by spreading mint, so keep them in separate pots or beds.
Easy-going — Chamomile can grow almost anywhere in the rotation without a strict rest.
The pea and bean family, the cabbage family or the tomato family thrive in this ground next season.
A light feeder that takes little from the bed and leaves loose, easily worked soil behind. Keep a one-year gap before another daisy-family crop such as lettuce or sunflowers. Peas and beans, cabbage-family greens, or tomatoes and peppers all follow well.
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