This post was most recently updated on March 10th, 2021
Chamomile is a herb renowned for the tea that calms the mind after a long and tiring day. If you are a gardening enthusiast and looking to plant chamomile in your garden, here is what you need to know.
Please read: This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prevent any disease. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
This post contains affiliate links, this means at no extra cost to you, we make a commission from sales. Please read our Disclosure Statement
Why Should You Grow Chamomile In Your Garden?
1. A Great Companion Plant
Chamomile has antifungal and antibacterial properties so it’s the best companion plant for your garden.
You should plant it around bushes and fruit trees to prevent any fungal infections. If you plant chamomile around other herbs such as rosemary, basil or mint, it will increase soil production.
2. Brings Beneficial Insects And Pollinators
The chamomile herb is useful for bringing the beneficial insects and pollinators to the garden. By having it on your garden, you can count on useful insects such as honey bees, ladybugs, wasps or hoverflies that play a huge role in keeping your garden looking green all year long.
RELATED: 40 bee friendly plants
3. Removing Unwanted Pests
Besides bringing the useful insects, it also removes the unwanted pests from your garden. Chamomile will remove mosquitoes, aphids and other unwanted bugs that might harm your plants or herbs.
RELATED: Plants that encourage beneficial insects
4. Acts As A Fertilizer
The chamomile tea brewed from the chamomile herb can be used as a fertilizer for your garden. It’s natural and organic thus you don’t have to worry about using any harmful fertilizers.
5. Provide Mulch
At the end of the growing season, you can cut down the chamomile plants and grind/chop them. Then, you can leave them on the ground to create nutritious mulch for the rest of your plants.
Chamomile plants are high in minerals that are beneficial to the rest of your plants.
Are you interested in learning more about using herbs and herbal medicine in your life? Find out more about the herbal academy courses here
Benefits from Consuming Chamomile
Besides all the benefits of the chamomile plants mentioned above, here are some of the benefits you should expect from chamomile tea.
a) It contains antioxidants that improve your body’s immune function, reduce swelling and pain as well as give you healthier hair, teeth, eyes and regulate your mood.
b) It works as a natural remedy for depression and anxiety disorders. Chamomile tea has natural healing agents that work on your mind and body to relieve stress, anxiety or depression.
c) Chamomile tea is a very powerful digestive aid because it soothes the digestive tract providing the necessary relief for conditions such as diarrhea, acid reflux, nausea, indigestion or vomiting.
d) It is also good for your heart health because it contains high levels of flavonoids that can reduce the risk of heart diseases such as stroke, especially in the elderly.
RELATED: The benefits of herbal medicine
RELATED: Top 10 Medicinal Herbs
How To Grow Chamomile In Your Garden
Here is what you need to do if you are planning on growing your chamomile herbs indoors.
Start planting the chamomile seeds indoors during winter, at least before the last frost hits. You can use a multi container to sow the seeds and start several plants at once.
Add moist seed sowing compost to the containers and add enough water to make sure the soil is properly moist right through. You should put the seeds under very light soil covering.
Spray the seeds using a spray bottle on a fine mist. Make sure the soil remains moist during germination by spraying at least once every day.
If you are worried the soil isn’t getting moist enough, you can use a plastic wrapping on the container but be sure to leave some space for air circulation.
Put the containers somewhere warm but out of direct sunlight until they have germinated.
After 2 weeks, you should prepare your seeds for transplanting by beginning to harden them off. Make sure the weather is good enough so that the tender plants won’t be exposed to the frost.
Sowing Chamomile Direct in to the Garden
Choose a sunny spot to plant the herb. Start raking and evening out the soil to prepare it for the chamomile seeds.
If you have poor soil, make sure you choose the German chamomile because it is more resilient. You should choose Roman chamomile if the soil is fertile and well-drained.
Sow the chamomile seeds very late in the spring or early summer if you want to avoid frost. Start by sprinkling the seeds on top of your soil and cover them lightly with soil.
Make sure the soil is moist when you cover the seeds, otherwise give them a mist with a fine spray hose.
Water the young plants frequently to make sure they don’t dry out.
When the plants start growing larger, you can reduce the watering frequency. Don’t forget to weed frequently to keep the weeds away as the chamomile doesn’t like competition.
Making Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is created using the chamomile flowers so you can harvest and dry them just as they are opening for the best results.
Pick the flowers in the early morning, and either hang them in bunches in a cool, dry place until dry, or use a dehydrator.
Once the flowers are totally dry, you can steep a few flowers in hot water for 3-5 minutes, add a little honey and lemon and enjoy a warm and soothing cup of chamomile tea.
If you would like help getting the most out of your garden, I would love to help you, find out more here
RELATED: Free Gardening Resources
If you like tips on frugal living, self sufficiency and consuming less, sign up to our newsletter below, I would LOVE to have you
For further reading, I also recommend all of these books. I own every one of them and they are amazing resources!
