Last edited by shiny on November 13, 2026. View history
German Chamomile
A variety of chamomile
How to sow german chamomile: Direct seed, do not cover. Seeds need light to germinate.
Sun requirement for german chamomile: Plant in Full Sun
German, or Common Chamomile is an annual plant with daisy-like flowers. It is in the Daisy family (Asteraceae) along with Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) and the two plants have similar apple-scented flowers, but they are in separate genera. German Chamomile is taller than Roman Chamomile, growing to heights of 60cm, and produces larger flowers that are 3-5cm in diameter. It has hairless stems and is more compact than it's Roman counterpart. It's essential oil is dark blue, whereas Roman Chamomile's essential oil is pale yellow to clear. German Chamomile is the most popular source of herbal chamomile and is used to calm and nourish the nervous system and support good digestion. Chamomile attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies (which eat aphids and mites) and ladybugs. Chamomile tea can be sprayed on seedlings to prevent damping-off, a fungal infection that can kill young plants.
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German chamomile facts
Lifespan
Height × spread
60cm × 30cmRow Spacing
30cmCrop cycle
Optimal light
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For german chamomile, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 6°C and a shortest growing cycle of 270 days at its best temperature, about 4320 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your german chamomile will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
Plant german chamomiles with
cauliflower
collard greens
kohlrabi
choy sum
napa cabbage
indian bean
green bartlett pear
red russian kale
Photos
Photos
German chamomile plantings
Video
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Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 270 to 300 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Matricaria recutita L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Asteridae Asterales Compositae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: -5 °C |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual |
| Habit | erect, prostrate/procumbent/semi-erect |
| Optimal soil depth | shallow (20-50 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | heavy, medium, light |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
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