The common or garden marigold (Calendula officinalis) is rightly considered one of the most traditional flowering plants in farm and monastery gardens. After all, this plant not only flowers very persistently, it can also be used as a medicinal plant and as an edible food decoration.

Marigolds keep pests away from other plants

Is it better to buy marigolds as seeds or as young plants?

Marigolds bought in specialist shops can be planted out in the garden in spring without any problems. You can also grow the fast-growing marigolds from seeds after the last frosts outdoors or under glass from March.

Which location does the marigold prefer?

The marigold thrives particularly well in full sun to partially shaded locations, whereby the soil should be loamy to humic.

When can the marigold be sown or planted outdoors?

So that your marigolds are not damaged by night frosts, you should plant them in the garden or sow them directly in the bed in May at the earliest.

Is it worth preferring the marigold?

Preparing the marigolds indoors allows for a particularly early sea of flowers in the respective yellow and orange tones in spring and early summer.

Can you transplant the marigold?

Unless you are planning to transplant in the driest of midsummer, marigolds generally tolerate transplanting quite well. But make sure that:

  • do not dry out the roots
  • the soil at the destination has been well pre-loosened
  • the plants are sufficiently watered while they are growing at the new location

How is the marigold propagated?

The marigold is propagated exclusively by sowing, with this plant quickly and frequently recurring stocks through self-sowing.

Which parts of the marigold can be harvested?

The marigold can be used as a whole as a versatile medicinal plant:

  • Petals (for tea and extracts)
  • the sickle-shaped seeds
  • fertilizing manure from the herb of the calendula

Which substrate is particularly suitable for the calendula?

Basically, marigolds are not very demanding when it comes to the composition of the soil. However, a slightly loamy and yet not permanently moist soil with a certain depth can have a positive effect on the growth of the plants and the number of flowers.

At what distance should the marigold be sown?

A single specimen of the marigold can certainly grow bushy over the course of a summer, but even relatively dense sowing does not necessarily do any harm. If the marigold in your vegetable garden is to serve as a barrier against slugs and nematodes, you can easily draw a furrow around the bed and sow the calendula in it.

tips

The summer flowering time of the marigolds in the garden is particularly attractive if you mix species with different colored flowers in the bed.

Category:

Vegetable garden