Properties
| Plant information | |
|---|---|
| May to September | |
| Low feeder | |
| Matricaria chamomilla | |
| 15-50cm | |
| annual | |
| Yellow | |
| Tastes good as a tea or processed into oil | |
Planting instructions on the envelope
For chamomile to thrive, it needs nutrient-rich soil and plenty of sun. The seeds should be sown in moist soil. It is undemanding and can be harvested when two-thirds of the blossoms on the head have bloomed. They reach a maximum height of 40-50 cm.
Detailed planting instructions: Chamomile
Chamomile is a real addition to your home pharmacy. It is a wonderful first-aid remedy for gastrointestinal complaints and inflammation of all kinds, completely without any side effects. To this end, the flower heads are harvested between July and October, dried, and later steeped as needed for tea, steam baths, or hot compresses.
But before you can start harvesting, the edible medicinal plant must first be sown. If you sow the chamomile in autumn, you will achieve a particularly rich harvest the following summer. However, the blossoms lose some of their size due to the high yield, so I recommend that you sow the chamomile seeds only between the end of April and the beginning of June.
Whether in the garden, in planters, or in pots, it is important for the chamomile that you rake the soil very finely and remove any weeds. For placement, you should reserve a spot in full sun and mix plenty of fertilizer into the soil. The seeds are sown at a distance of 30 centimeters and should under no circumstances be covered with soil, as chamomile belongs to the group of so-called light-dependent germinators.
A little tip on the side: to ensure the seeds are not blown away by gusts of wind in your garden, it is recommended to press the small seeds down a little.
If you ensure a warm, humid climate, the first seeds will germinate after just one week. From now on, you can sit back and relax, because chamomile plants are absolutely easy to care for and do not need to be coddled. Water occasionally (much less in the garden than in containers), avoid waterlogged soil, and in nutrient-poor soil, fertilize with potassium from time to time; this ensures a particularly rich bloom.
When about two-thirds of the blossoms on the head have opened, you can begin the harvest. The more flower heads you cut, the more will grow back, and the higher the concentration of the essential oils they contain.
At the latest two hours after harvesting, you can dry the chamomile blossoms either in your oven at approx. 40°C or, particularly environmentally friendly, in an outdoor location that is protected from the wind and not too sunny.
