Yes — Strong Match
Roman chamomile (zones 3-9) covers every zone Indiana contains (5b-7b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Roman Chamomile in Indiana — the short answer
Roman Chamomile in Indiana: hardy in zones 3–9, full sun, against a state median of ~209 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 3-9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Indiana zones
- 5b-7b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 4 - Apr 9 – Oct 30 - Nov 4
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 191 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 90 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Indiana spans zones 5b-7b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score roman chamomile against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Indiana is not one climate
Indiana’s winter-low ladder runs across 92 counties, from zone 5.5 in Benton County to zone 7 in Warrick County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between roman chamomile overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 92 counties runs 6–6.5 zones, with a median of 6 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 92 Indiana counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Indiana Fits Best
Even within Indiana's zones 5b-7b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for roman chamomile (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Roman Chamomile Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-9
- Frost-Free Days: 180+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 6 in tall
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Indiana Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 4 - Apr 9
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 30 - Nov 4
- Annual Rainfall: 36-46 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Glacial till
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-9)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Roman Chamomile in Indiana
The frost window
Across Indiana, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 4 and Apr 9, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 30 and Nov 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 204-day window you can count on — up to 214 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when roman chamomile goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from Indiana's late-side last freeze of Apr 9 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Establishment timing
As a long-lived plant, roman chamomile isn't racing the calendar to a harvest date. Plant it in spring once the last hard-freeze window passes so roots settle in through the full season, or in early fall while the soil still holds summer warmth.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Steuben County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says roman chamomile survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Roman Chamomile wants 180+ frost-free days; a typical Indiana site sees ~209 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
Growing degree days
Roman Chamomile needs ~700 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~3153 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Indiana's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Roman Chamomile likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-8). That's the common-ground band across Indiana's silt loam and clay loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Indiana soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Indiana site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 37.8% of Indiana as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Roman Chamomile sits mid-range for drought tolerance, so either extreme can cost you — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Indiana soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant roman chamomile for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before roman chamomile goes in. What follows is Indiana’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Indiana — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Indiana — 33,216 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 423 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Indiana carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Severity Distribution
across Indiana
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Indiana, two things run higher than the national average across Indiana — Toxics Release Inventory (2,883 sites) and Superfund (423 sites). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.
Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.
Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.
Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Roman Chamomile in Indiana
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Indiana growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils limit drainage in many areas
Late spring frosts through early May
Hot humid summers promote blight and mildew
Growing roman chamomile here specifically
Roman Chamomile roots run shallow and prefer pH 5.5–8.0, but drainage comes first here: SSURGO maps about 37.8% of Indiana as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and wet ground rots its crown before pH ever matters.
Plant roman chamomile on a raised, gravel-amended berm so water drains fast and the crown stays dry. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Indiana grower, not just roman chamomile — is covered on the Indiana growing guide.
Timing shifts within Indiana
Indiana isn't one climate. In Steuben County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 18 — roughly 11 days later than the recorded state median — so plant roman chamomile to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Roman Chamomile needs about 180 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Steuben County — Indiana’s shortest season at 191 frost-free days — clears that by 11 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Indiana. What varies is your own parcel.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Roman Chamomile's 180-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Roman Chamomile draws honeybees and native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, roman chamomile can only work that bloom inside Indiana's frost window — roughly 209 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 4 - Apr 9) and closing at the first (Oct 30 - Nov 4), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Recommended Roman Chamomile Varieties for Indiana
Indiana publishes no state variety trial for roman chamomile, so we won't invent a "best for Indiana" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (5b-7b), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Indiana Cooperative Extension
For Indiana-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for roman chamomile, the canonical source is Purdue Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Roman Chamomile native to Indiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Roman Chamomile as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Indiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Indiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Indiana growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Roman Chamomile in Indiana
When can I plant Roman Chamomile in Indiana?
Indiana's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 4 and Apr 9, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 30 and Nov 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Roman Chamomile is a long-lived planting, so target spring just after your local last hard freeze — or early fall while the soil holds warmth — and let it establish through the season.
What hardiness zone is Roman Chamomile grown in across Indiana?
Indiana spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Roman Chamomile carries a range of zones 3-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Indiana site have?
A typical Indiana site sees ~209 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Roman Chamomile needs 180+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Steuben, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Roman Chamomile native to Indiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Roman Chamomile as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Indiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Indiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Roman Chamomile in Indiana?
Roman Chamomile prefers pH 5.5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Indiana soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Roman Chamomile actually grow on my specific land in Indiana?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores roman chamomile against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Indiana
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores roman chamomile against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Indiana roman chamomile averages can't show:
We read public map data around Indiana — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Indiana roman chamomile average
Explore More
Growing guides for roman chamomile
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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