Garlic and German chamomile

Question: Hello, I am a first time gardener.  I planted about 100 cloves of hard neck garlic in two 7x 3 foot raised beds, even with our warm winter, all plants are accounted for and are growing!  As I plan for my spring planting, I was wondering if I could sprinkle chamomile seeds over the garlic?
More questions to come.
Thanks
Photo is 3/12/23

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied March 27, 2023, 11:06 AM EDT
response: Hi, If you have additional gardening space we suggest planting the German chamomile elsewhere.  It's good to keep a mulch around your garlic plants. Sowing chamomile seeds would require you to remove the mulch so the seeds could contact the soil.The chamomile will grow 2-3 ft. tall and the two different plants will shade each other and compete for water and nutrients.When you harvest your garlic you will disturb/damage the chamomile plants.  If you decide to try it we suggest experimenting in a small area. Perhaps grow some chamomile transplants and plant them between garlic plants.  Some things to consider: If your beds are facing south, plants growing in mid-summer could get heat-stressed from reflected heat from the wall. Hopefully, rainwater from the roof is not landing on the raised beds. Jon

responder: The Question Asker Replied March 28, 2023, 7:03 PM EDT
response: Thank you for the information! It was helpful, confusing, but helpful.1-I did t think about the mulch around the garlic!  Good thinking.2-I was concerned about there being too much shade for the garlic and being 1-2 feet tall, it would shade the garlic. I didn’t think that they would compete for spac/nutrients because the g. Chamomile is a shallow root plant where the garlic was a deep rooted plant. 3-great idea to start the chamomile plants and then transplant them where I want, but will the shade still be too much for the garlic?The beds are in fact facing southwest.  Eeek.  I can’t paint the barn!Suggestions?- besides watching the need for water carefully? I have questions about which and where to plant my vegetables in a 3’ x 7’ area.I’m not sure how much assistance you can give.  Here is the whole story.The goal is to plant edible, deer/rabbit resistant/perennial/ low maintenance/ground cover plants.The garden is a raised bed, along the wall of a barn.  The length is about 60 feet and is 3 foot wide.(picture1)  The garden is facing southwest.  I added compost and peat in the fall throughout the entire bed.  In the first 7 feet I plan to have vegetable seeds:Carrots hybrid AdelaideRadish parks beauty blendsweet basil, heirloomHot pepper, jalapeño giganteGhost pepper, bhut jolokia Tomato hybrid super sweet 100Cilantro, calypsoThere is also another hot pepper plant comingI will assume all of these but the carrots and radishes need to be started in cells.  How many seeds in a cell? A bunch, and then Cut back the weaker plants at soil level-(I read a lot) leaving only one  strong plant?Carrots and radishes: it says “thin seeds”? Is this picking the strongest plant, or so that they are equidistant from each other?I still need oregano and maybe eggplant.Too many plants in that area?  Too much shade/ too much sun? Layout to protect from animals-heat stress-garlic loving or far away from garlic… so many things to think about.Questions: this corner of the garden has a short side and a long side exposed to the animals.  Should I plant the peppers at the edge of the garden and the tomatoes towards the back near the garlic and against the wall?.  Do the herbs need to be planted together ie all the basil should be together/cilantro/ etc, or can they be inter-mixed around the tomatoes?The next 7 feet of the garden are Persian star garlic. 65 bulbs planted and growing !The next 7 feet are Chesnok red  55 bulbs planted and growing !Then the next 40 feet or so already had a wave pattern of purple nutsedge(?), that I trimmed and kept as a border .  A self “swooping” border.There are pockets of: crocus-versus large and small (45 bulbs) most upHyacinth-orientalis  30 bulbs most upTulip -angelique double late (15 bulbs)Anemone-I only soaked these for 1 hour before planting.  They looked the same when I planted them.  Still nothing growing. :(Cosmos seeds-cosmic orange to be sprinkled later cosmos-seashells to be sprinkled later Sunflower-Van Gogh seeds Should I start the seeds a few days apart so they bloom a few days apart?Sunflower-giganteus seeds-like above? Plant them days apart? Or weeks?In one of the “swoops” made by the purple nutsedge, I was planning on placing 2 lavender plants. Another “swoop” could be “rosemary”, as I have 2 rosemary plants-bbq skewers and another variety.I understand if this is too much information.  I guess to pare it down, veggie garden 3x7 one short exposed side, one garlic short side.  One exposed long side and the white barn against one side.What to plant where?Sorry,Suzanne KennyOh and there is a drip line from the water from the roof.  Do any specific veggies like lots of water? How should I work around this.  Should I create like a French drain so the rain falls into rocks and splashes the plants?On Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 11:06 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied March 29, 2023, 9:39 AM EDT
response: Hi- I encourage you to view this year's growing season as a first, experimental step in getting to know your soil, plants, and growing conditions.  I'd encourage you to reach out to the UME Master Gardeners in Montgomery Co. They have a fabulous Grow It Eat It program that teaches and promotes food gardening through classes, and events, and a big demonstration garden.  Please check out our online resources, including the MD Grows blog. Lots of up-to-date content on all the topics you are interested in.  1. The peat moss and compost you added will contribute to good plant growth but it will be well worth it to have your soil tested. You'll get valuable baseline information. Select a lab that also tests for lead (e.g. UDEL). 2. Groundhog, deer, and rabbit can demolish a food garden, regardless of the planting scheme. Fencing is almost always a necessity. 3. Water from the roof that directly strikes the bed will damage plants and soil structure. 4. Yes, the chamomile will shade the garlic to some degree. We don't know exactly how that will affect your harvest. Garlic is a heavy feeder so you should fertilize with a complete fertilizer this spring (contains nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium). 5. SW exposure- monitor plants for signs of heat stress and water as needed. 6. Tallest plants to the rear of the bed next to the wall. Some people like to intersperse herbs and flowers with vegetable plants. I think it's easier to manage the garden when herbs are grouped together.  It will be an exciting adventure! Jon