Jun 11, 2026 / By Anas Heaba / in Growing Guides
German chamomile is one of the easiest and most rewarding herbs you can grow, and Egypt happens to be the world's leading producer of it. It is a cool-season annual that reaches roughly 30–75 cm tall, crowning itself with dozens of small daisy-like flowers whose golden centres and white petals are prized for tea and home remedies. Because it is undemanding and even thrives in poor soils, chamomile is a great choice for both beginners and experienced gardeners across the Nile Delta and Middle Egypt. As a bonus, the plant readily self-seeds, so a single well-kept bed can return to you season after season.
Chamomile is grown in Egypt as a winter (Rabi) crop, exactly the way it is cultivated commercially in Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya and Assiut. Sow or transplant in autumn — from late September into October — once the peak summer heat has broken. The mild Egyptian winter, running roughly from November to February at about 10–22°C, suits the plant's cool-season nature and helps it avoid the bolting and poor flowering that extreme heat causes. Flowering and harvest then spread across spring, commonly April to June depending on region. In the cooler Delta, lean toward an October sowing and a slightly later harvest; in warmer Upper Egypt, sow from late September and expect an earlier spring bloom. Avoid spring sowing, since the summer heat would arrive before a full flowering flush.
Chamomile seeds need light to germinate, so do not bury them. Surface-sow by pressing the seeds gently onto moist, well-drained soil and leaving them uncovered. Clay or loam textures both work well. The seeds germinate best under warm, alternating temperatures of about 20°C at night and 30°C during the day, sprouting in roughly 10–14 days — often within about a week under warm conditions. You can also start seedlings indoors and transplant them out once they are about 2.5–5 cm tall with 3–4 true leaves. Whether transplanting or direct-seeding, space plants about 20 cm apart in rows about 45 cm apart. When you direct-seed, thin the seedlings down to clusters of 2–3 plants every 20 cm or so. Choose a spot in full sun with 6 or more hours of direct light a day, though the plant will tolerate partial shade of 2–6 hours.
Chamomile is a low feeder and does not need much fertilizer. If your soil is poor, work a balanced N-P-K 20-20-20 fertilizer into the bed before sowing or transplanting, at about 90 kg per hectare. Resist the urge to over-feed: too much fertilizer pushes the plant to produce leafy growth at the expense of the flowers you are actually growing it for.
Chamomile is shallow-rooted, so the goal is to keep the upper layer of soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. Water often enough that the surface does not dry out, and make sure the bed drains freely so the roots never sit in standing water. The plant has few pest problems overall. The main insect pest is aphids, while mealybugs and thrips tend to attack only weakened plants. The key fungal diseases to watch for are powdery mildew, downy mildew and rust — good airflow between plants and avoiding soggy soil go a long way toward preventing them.
Harvest the flower heads when they are at or near full bloom: the petals fully open and lying flat, or just beginning to bend back. Snip only the flower head (the inflorescence) from the stem, leaving the plant to keep producing. Harvesting regularly, which also acts as deadheading, prolongs blooming and keeps new flowers coming through the season. Keep in mind that chamomile self-seeds readily, so if you remove every flower head you can stop volunteer seedlings from appearing next season — useful if you want to control where it spreads.
Starting with good seed makes everything that follows easier. At tna W rna you can pick up Chamomile (البابونج) seed to begin your winter bed. If you are setting up a small home patch, chamomile seeds for home growing are a convenient option, and you will also find Matricaria chamomilla chamomile herb seeds and a straightforward pack of chamomile seeds ready for an autumn sowing. Order in early autumn so your seeds are in hand when the summer heat breaks and the ideal planting window opens.
Jun 11, 2026 by Anas Heaba
Jun 11, 2026 by Anas Heaba
