Why bother? Chamomile is a ground-cover, intended to cover large areas like a lawn. The larger the area, the more flowers you get, and the whole purpose (really) of growing chamomile is to get large numbers of flowers. Those flowers are small, and they shrink considerably on drying. I don't see the point of having half a dozen flowers when you really need hundreds of them!

IMO, growing herbs indoors is good only to get them started, at best. Gee, I can just see all those herbs fully grown on your windowsill! Well, actually, I can't. Each will get to more than a metre tall and just as wide - or they would if they were outside where they'd all be much happier. You just wait until they get a big bigger and you'll find they'll quickly begin to suffer from cramped quarters, lack of sunlight and fresh air and bug attacks.

Well, you DID ask!

Yes. I've grown German chamomile inside in the winter for years, just never on purpose. There's a lot of it outside and the seeds find their way into the majority of the pots that're brought in at the end of the season.

By the time everything is hauled inside there's chamomile in several stages of growth: barely-sprouted to several inches high. Plus, it pops up all winter long and thrives. I always have several large pots of chives and by spring they're usually about half chamomile.

Outside it can grow to 2' tall, but inside it often blooms at about 10". I've even had it grow and flower on unheated porches with only western exposure. Keep it on the dry side, don't fuss over it, and good luck!

Daisyduckworth, that was a stupid answer. Yes YOU can bother to grow it inside and it's not just for ground cover. It's an Her , We grow it inside and use it to make tea for my daughter.

Meanwhile, 10 years later....

Linda, the original post from 2007 asked if it was "worth it"--generally speaking.

I think most gardeners think growing full light herbs into a flowering stage inside a typical house is a costly challenge that is not worth it.

However I agree it's not just for ground cover. I like to grow it in patches, though it does take a significant amount of real estate most of the year.

For most people who don't have to grow it indoors, then they should know it's about 1000 % easier and cheaper to grow it outside, to let the weather and the natural earth do all the work that they don't know how to replicate indoors, and get a much more fragrant flower even as a beginner.

We haven't heard from Daisy in a long while but her knowledge of herbs was probably the deepest and most wide ranging on this forum, at least in the last decade plus.

Daisy may be knowledgeable but knowledge doesn't excuse arrogance. She was a jerk in the way she addressed this person who wasn't as "knowledgeable" Hello??? That's why she's here asking the question.. I kinda thought the whole point of this forum was for folks to get advice from more knowledgeable folks, not to come on here and make others feel stupid, which she was CLEARLY attempting to do. There's no reason to be a jackass, I don't care HOW much you know. If you can't be kind and give helpful advice then zip it or leave.

Why are you so angry? Clearly the internet's limitations has failed everyone here. I only know Daisy from reading her 10 year old posts (I've read dozens). So much good-natured charm and experiential knowledge!

Besides, there are so many people that try to grow full sun plants indoors and get the same lanky plants and the same bugs. There should be a sticky post warning these people not to ask and why. No judgement.

Sometimes a zippy sense of humor comes off poorly when typed. I wasn't offended by Daisy's tone, she's just telling it like it is.