Grow Your Own Tea Garden
From garden to cup, learn how to grow and dry your own chamomile tea.
German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is one of the most loved herbs to grow and dry for tea. A hardy annual in USDA zones 2 to 9, but often considered a perennial because it readily self-sows if flowers are left on the plant. It is easily grown from seed directly in the garden after danger of frost, or in containers. Native to Europe, it is from the Asteraceae family and prefers full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Plant at 1/8-1/4 inch depth. Recommended plant spacing is 12 inches, but it is forgiving of crowded spacing. Approximately a week to two weeks to germination, and sixty days to harvest.
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Parts used for tea are the flower heads. Harvest when the flower heads are fully formed. The best time to harvest is late morning on a clear day after dew has evaporated. Leave the stems for more buds. Do not harvest leaves because they are bitter. Dry the flower heads on parchment sheets for 1 to 2 weeks.
For tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried flower heads to one cup of boiling water. Freshly harvested flower heads can also be used. It isn’t necessary to crush the dried flowers, but experiment with this to suit your own tastes. It has several medicinal properties, with spiroether as one of the key constituents, an antispasmodic, that helps ease muscle tension and promote calm. It’s a perfect nighttime tea before bed.
Other popular perennial herbs to grow for tea are spearmint (Mentha spicata), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), rose hips (Rosa regosa), elderberry (Sambucus nigra) - and many more. These herbs can be invasive, so plan accordingly. A mixed bed of equally prolific plants that is kept away from other plantings, that can also be mowed around works well, or planted in containers. Although not a perennial in our area, lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) deservers a mention for its superior taste in teas. It is an herb that is worth the effort of digging up in the fall and wintering next to a window until replanting in spring.
Happy gardening!
Happy gardening!