Chamomile is harvested one tiny flower at a time, and that is part of its charm. The daisy-like flower heads are picked when their white petals are open and flat, then dried for tea — and a single plant can produce hundreds of flowers over the season if you pick it every few days. It is a gentle, undemanding annual that self-sows freely, so once you have grown it, you may never need to sow it again.
Chamomile takes 60–90 days to mature, according to the Garden Grove crop data. It is a hardy herb in the Asteraceae family with moderate water needs. For the full growing picture, see our growing guide for chamomile, and use the Harvest Date Calculator to work out your picking window from your sowing date. Browse the full guides hub and the tools hub for more harvest timing advice, and check your local extension service for dates suited to your climate.
Chamomile at a glance
| Growing factor | What chamomile needs |
|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 60–90 |
| Category | herb |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Cold tolerance | hardy |
| Water needs | moderate |
Signs chamomile is ready to pick
The sign is the flower head itself. A chamomile flower is ready when the white petals are fully open and held out flat, like a tiny daisy, and the yellow centre is raised and domed. If the petals are still pointing upwards, the flower is too young; if the petals have drooped backwards and the centre is flat or brown, the flower is past its best and its flavour will be weak.
Check the plant every few days once flowering starts, because new flowers open daily and the peak picking window for each flower is only a day or two. The foliage should be feathery, bright green and aromatic — if the plant is yellowing or the flowers are small and sparse, it may be too dry or too crowded. Pick the largest, freshest flowers first.
How to pick chamomile
Pick chamomile flowers by pinching each head off between your thumb and forefinger, or by raking your fingers gently through the plant to comb the ripe heads off into your palm. A berry rake or a chamomile rake makes the job faster on a large patch. Leave the unopened buds and the spent flowers on the plant — only the fully open, flat-petalled heads are worth picking.
Pick in the morning after the dew has dried, when the flowers are dry and most aromatic. Carry a basket or a shallow tray and spread the flowers in a single layer as you pick, so they do not squash and sweat. Pick little and often — every two to three days through the flowering season — because a flower left on the plant for a week will set seed and stop producing. For the full growing picture, see our growing guide for chamomile.
The best time of day to harvest
Harvest chamomile in the morning, after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. That is when the leaves are dry, crisp and most aromatic, because the essential oils are at their most concentrated after a cool night. Leaves picked in the afternoon heat are often limp and less flavourful, and wet leaves picked while the dew is still on them dry slowly and can go mouldy in storage.
Choose a dry day for harvesting if you can, and avoid picking after rain, when the foliage is wet and heavy. If you must pick on a damp day, spread the cuttings out in a single layer in a ventilated spot for an hour before you bundle or bag them. And get the harvest out of the sun straight away — a basket of cut herbs left in the sun for an hour will wilt and lose much of its aroma. Morning picking is a small habit that makes a real difference to flavour and keeping quality.
How often to pick
Chamomile is a pick-little-and-often crop, and regular picking is part of good plant care, not just a way to get a harvest. Once the plant is established, you can take a small picking every week or two through the growing season, always leaving enough growth for the plant to recover. Each cut encourages the plant to branch and push out fresh, tender growth, so a plant that is picked regularly stays bushy and productive far longer than one that is left alone.
Do not wait for a single big harvest unless the plant is one you cut whole for drying — for most herbs, steady, small pickings give you better flavour and a healthier plant. Take a few sprigs from several plants rather than a large handful from one, and always leave at least two-thirds of the plant intact. If you go away for a few weeks, ask someone to pick the herbs, or cut the plant back before you leave so it regrows while you are gone.
What happens if chamomile is left too long
Chamomile flowers left unpicked set seed quickly and the plant's flowering slows down. The petals droop and fall, the yellow centre flattens and browns, and the flower becomes a seed head rather than a tea ingredient. A plant left entirely unpicked will still produce some flowers, but far fewer than a plant that is picked every few days.
If your chamomile has gone to seed, let it finish — the seed will self-sow and give you plants next year — and cut the spent plants back to encourage a late flush. The faded flowers are not worth drying for tea, because their flavour is weak and they may taste bitter. The fix is a regular picking routine: a few minutes every two or three days through the flowering season.
How to store chamomile
Chamomile flowers must be dried before they can be stored, because fresh flowers go mouldy quickly. Spread the picked heads in a single layer on a tray, a mesh screen or a clean tea towel, in a warm, dark, well-ventilated spot, and leave them for one to two weeks until they are papery and crisp. Turn them once or twice so they dry evenly. Use the Herb Drying Calculator for timing.
When fully dry, store the flower heads whole in a sealed jar in a dark cupboard — do not crush them until you use them, because whole flowers keep their flavour longer. Dried chamomile keeps for a year or more. To make tea, pour boiling water over a teaspoon of dried flowers per cup and steep for five minutes. Do not dry chamomile in sunlight, which fades the flowers and weakens the flavour.
Succession and continuous harvest tips
Chamomile is a hardy annual with moderate water needs that self-sows so freely you may only need to sow it once. Let a few flowers go to seed at the end of the season and seedlings will appear in the same bed next spring, often in surprising places. If you want a tidier supply, sow a small patch every three to four weeks in spring for a continuous flush of flowers.
Keep the soil evenly moist while plants are young, but do not overwater — chamomile prefers lean, well-drained soil and too much richness makes floppy, weakly scented growth. Thin seedlings so plants have room to branch, because a crowded plant produces fewer flowers. Deadhead spent flowers promptly during the season to keep new buds coming, and pick the flowers regularly — picking is itself the best way to keep the plant flowering.
If you are also growing other herbs and vegetables, our guides to harvesting lemongrass and harvesting stevia follow the same picking principles, and check your local extension service for advice suited to your area.
Frequently asked questions
When is chamomile ready to pick?
When the white petals are fully open and held flat and the yellow centre is raised and domed, typically 60–90 days from sowing.
How often should I pick chamomile?
Every two to three days through the flowering season. Picking regularly keeps new flowers coming.
How do I dry chamomile for tea?
Spread the heads in a single layer in a warm, dark, ventilated spot for one to two weeks until papery and crisp, then store whole in a sealed jar.
Will chamomile come back next year?
Yes — it self-sows freely if you let a few flowers set seed. Seedlings will appear in the same bed next spring.
Can I use chamomile flowers fresh?
You can make fresh tea, but the flavour is milder. Dried flowers give a stronger, sweeter tea and keep for a year or more.