Chamomile

Latin name: Matricaria recutita

🌱 Days to Sprout: 10-14 

😋 Plant food: after true leaves 

✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube

🍅 Days to Maturity: 75-120

💡 Light Zone: Minimum

📏 Plant Size: 2 ft

💚 Care Level: Intermediate

Chamomile is a relative of the daisy and has been used for millennia as a staple in herbal medicine. The name “chamomile” is derived from Greek by the French and means “ground apple”. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used Chamomile as early as 500 BC.

These small, fragrant, daisy-like flowers have white petals with a dark yellow center. Chamomile is believed to contain anti-inflammatory compounds and has been used in natural medicines as a stress reducer, sleep aid, and skin-calming agent. 

Chamomile has long been brewed into teas, extracted into tinctures, and included in gourmet dishes as a fresh garnish. It is typically used as a calming, anti-anxiety agent and can help defeat bouts of insomnia. You can dry harvested flowers in a temperate, well ventilated space for up to two weeks, then store them in an airtight container for later use.

✂️ Pruning: Remove leaves with brown spots if they appear. Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod. 

🔎 Plant Health: Aphids are a common pest, but you can use our prevention and treatment tricks to keep pests at bay! 

🌻 Harvest: Frequently harvesting blooms when they've fully opened will help prolong the plant's life and encourage new flowers to grow. To harvest, pinch or snip at the base of each flower's head.

Recipe Source: Sugar Salted

• 3 cups (700ml) boiling water

• one 1-inch (2-3 cm) piece of ginger root, peeled and grated

• 2 TBSPs fresh or dried chamomile flowers 

• juice from 1/2 small lemon

• 1 TBSP honey, or more to taste

1. Pour boiling water in a heat-proof jar (or fill up a kettle that has a sieve). Add ginger and chamomile. Steep for 10-15 minutes.

2. Stir in lemon juice and honey. Strain the tea, pour into a mug and enjoy. Add more honey if needed. Keep leftover tea in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days. Warm up on the stove before drinking again or enjoy cold.

Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.