Where in the United States are you? While most means of controlling soil nematodes are very similar, solarizing soil in Michigan is less likely to work than it would in Florida. What is the level of humus in your soil? What is your soils pH? While these simple soil tests will not substitute for a good, reliable test to determine pH, P, K, Ca, and Mg they can be of use in many other ways, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. Solarizing soil can be one way to kill off soil borne pests and disease pathogens, but it will also kill off beneficial insects and soil bacteria, because the process is not selective enough to differentiate between the two.

I don't see how this one could be Roman, unless somehow there were both Roman and German in the same packet, and the seedlings looked 100% identical up until the time they were transplanted to the garden. The other plant(s) from the same batch got tall and produced a zillion flowers, and then the plant died. This particular plant just never grew past the point of a tiny seedling. It also doesn't look like a short plant  it looks stunted. It's definitely true that I let the seedlings sit too long in tiny seed-starting containers, and they were fairly root-bound when I transplanted them. However, the others from the same seed batch took off as soon as they got in the garden, while this one stayed tiny...and yet, it never just gave up and died. It never bloomed, or even looked like it was thinking about blooming. I've seen a low-growing perennial chamomile in our area, usually mixed in with the grass in the park, or that sort of thing. This isn't it. The seed packet says all of the following: "Chamomile, German" and "Matricaria Recutita," and "annual, cool-season crop." The seeds are from Botanical Interests, whom I tend to trust (do they deserve that trust?). I was just now considering the possibility that what I'm seeing is not last year's plant, but a new plant from re-seeding of the sibling plant. However, I really don't think so, for the following reasons: It's in precisely the same place as last year's stunted plant, it looks exactly the same, it has the same "tiny clump of too-many plants" look to it, there are no others (I would expect dozens from re-seeding, not one), and also, the cold weather just broke so recently that I don't think anything has germinated yet. Some of the perennials have greened up or sent up new shoots, but I haven't seen any new seedlings anywhere. I do know that some plants die shortly after they go to seed, which is why I'm wondering if German chamomile is "annual" in the "dies after blooming" sense and not the "can't handle the cold" sense. So, since this plant hasn't bloomed yet, it also hasn't died yet. But still...strange.

Inchworms, those wee larva that arch their backs to move, come from many species of moths, but since they all much on leaves they can be controlled with applications of Bacillus thuringiensis - Kurstaki if early in their life, Superior horticultural oils, aka summer oil, as well as Neem oil products that need to be used with due care, if control is needed. I find that most often the predators of these do a sufficient job of control.

Hmm, I have never seen it growing wild, but if you're positive it is chamomile, I'll try.... (Weird, I'm not getting notification emails when someone replies to the topic, but I'll keep checking here.)