How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Marigolds
Marigolds thrive in full sunshine and can often withstand very hot summers. African and signet marigolds are drought tolerant, while French marigolds are more tolerant of wet conditions. If planted in shade and cool, moist areas, marigolds are prone to powdery mildew and won’t bloom well.
Though they grow in almost any soil, marigolds do best in moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Prepare the soil by digging down about 6 inches to loosen it, then mix in compost to add fertility and improve consistency.
When to Plant Marigolds
- Young French and signet marigolds can be planted from spring through midsummer, but the tall African marigolds are best planted right away in the spring (after danger of frost has passed) because they are slower to mature and produce flowers. Find local frost dates here.
- Sow seeds directly into the garden once the soil is warm in the spring. You can start seeds indoors, but they germinate so easily outside that there’s really no advantage. The exception is African marigolds, which are best bought as young plants or started indoors about 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date.
- Marigolds sprout within a week in warm weather and plants typically produce blooms in about 8 weeks.
How to Plant Marigolds
- French marigolds can easily be started from seed, while African marigolds are best purchased as young plants (when started from seed, they can take a long time to flower).
- Optional: If soil is nutrient-starved, add some slow-release (granular) fertilizer in the planting hole. A 5-10-5 works fine.
- Moisten the soil, then sow seeds 1 inch apart and no more than 1 inch deep.
- While still small, thin the seedlings. Space French and signet types 8 to 10 inches apart. The larger African marigolds should be at least 10 to 12 inches apart.
- If planting transplants, thoroughly water each plant after planting in the garden.
- If planting in containers, use a soil-based potting mix. Either mix in slow-acting granular fertilizer at planting time or plan to water with diluted liquid fertilizer periodically. Take care to space properly; marigolds grown in containers can become crowded.
How to Grow Marigolds
- Once the marigolds have established themselves, pinch off the tops of the plants to encourage them to grow bushier. This will keep the plants from becoming leggy and will encourage more blooming.
- Marigolds don’t require deadheading, but if dying blossoms are regularly removed, it will encourage the plant to continue blooming profusely.
- When you water marigolds, allow the soil to dry somewhat between waterings, then water well and repeat the process. Water more in high heat.
- Do not water marigolds from overhead. Water at the base of the plant. (Excess water on leaves can lead to powdery mildew.)
- Do not fertilize marigolds during growth. A diet that’s too nitrogen-rich stimulates lush foliage at the expense of flowers.
- The dense, double flowerheads of the African marigolds tend to rot in wet weather.
- Add a layer of mulch between plants to suppress weeds and keep soil moist, especially when plants are young.
How to Deadhead Marigolds
Deadheading is about removing faded flowers by pinching off the flower head. For some plants, including marigolds, pinching off the dead flower heads encourages the plant to produce more blooms rather than wasting their energy on forming seeds, extending the flowering season. Marigolds also look so much better after deadheading.
Deadheading marigolds is very simple. When a blossom starts to go bad, pinch (cut) its stem back to the nearest set of leaves.
Whether youāre deadheading your annuals, be sure to fertilize as well. Annuals are very heavy feeders and will respond well.
Marigolds come in a range of colorsāfrom creamy white to golden orangeāand sizes. French marigold varieties tend to be smaller than American/African varieties.
French Marigolds (T. patula)
- āLittle Heroā Series: 7ā tall plants with large, double carnation flowers in 7 color combinations of maroon, orange, and yellow.
- āHeroā Series: 10ā tall plants with double carnation, large (2ā wide) flowers in 7 different combinations of yellow, orange, and maroon.
- āBonanzaā Series: 2ā wide, double carnation flowers in 5 different combinations of yellow, orange, and maroon on bushy, compact 8ā tall plants.
- āAuroraā Series: 1ā tall plants with wide-petaled, anemone-like flowers in shades of maroon, yellow, and orange.
- āJanieā Series: Early blooming. 8ā tall plants are perfect for container growing. Double carnation type flowers in 6 different combinations of yellow, orange, and maroon.
- āBoy Oā Boyā Series: 6ā tall prolifically flowering plants with flowers in shades of maroon, yellow, and orange
French Marigolds
American/African Marigolds (T. erecta)
- āJubileeā Series: 2ā tall plants with dense, double flowers in shades of yellow and orange.
- āGold Coinā Series: 1Ā½ to 2ā tall plants with large (5ā wide) double blooms in gold, yellow, and orange.
- āSafariā Series: 1ā tall plants with flat-topped, large flowers in shades of maroon, yellow, and orange.
- āFrench Vanillaā: 3ā wide flowers are pure creamy white. Minimal scent. Plants are 1Ā½ to 2ā tall.
The flowers of Tagetes marigolds are not edible, but those of Calendula are. The bright petals of Calendula add color and a spicy tang to salads and other summer dishes.
- The flower petals are sometimes cooked with rice to impart the color (but, unfortunately, not the flavor) of saffron.
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I have some marigolds from a fried's father's funeral and all i can say is that they grow so well in all sorts of conditions and every time i go out to my front yard i am amazed by how they are flourishing!!! They look so pretty alongside all our yard plants. I love marigolds!!!
Here in New Zealand, I sow marigolds (French) in the autumn and have had no trouble with them surviving through the winter to give a great show right through the season and beyond (into winter). I took the cue by observing what happened when my marigolds were left to self seed, and noticed that the seedlings germinated naturally in the autumn. The transplanted seedlings (from in between the flagstones) have always done well over winter without any special care apart from a little liquid fertiliser when transplanted...
I have been growing these for years. They have a lot of different colors and look so pretty in the garden. Mine grow like weeds. I let them die in the fall and then harvest the seeds. I try to harvest by color. I put them on a paper plate indoors to dry completely. Before harvesting the seeds, I write the color on the plate. When dry, I put them in a ziplock bag and plant when the weather starts warming. I over seed so I have masses of flowers. The marigolds planted by seed are very hardy. I planted from a nursery once before and they were eaten so fast and died that I never did that again. I've never had problems with them around vegetables. I've planted by broccoli, kale tomatoes, etc. If some get eaten, it's not noticeable because I plant so many. I just scatter the seed on ground that I've scratched with a hand rake and just cover with a little soil and sprinkle with water. They sprout within a few weeks and grow pretty fast. I've grown in sun and part sun and both do fine. I have lots of trees so there's not really very many full sun places. They look pretty with vegetable plants. So don't give up.
I've pretty much given up on marigolds. The earwigs strip the plants so all I have left are stems. I always used to plant them with my tomatoes. I miss them.
Thatās what happened to mine too. Does that mean it was earwigs? I didnāt know what had happened to them.
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