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How to sow and grow marigold

Marigolds brighten up your vegetable garden box. They also improve the soil, ward off nematodes, and attract insects. Plus: the petals are edible.
Goudsbloem in de Makkelijke Moestuin
Marigold

What are marigolds?

Maybe marigolds aren't the first thing on the menu, but the petals are edible: great for brightening up your salads or desserts.

You can also use them for tea: marigold tea helps to reduce inflammation and treat stomach aches. 

Marigold ointment or oil does wonders for your skin. It helps prevent wrinkles and liver spots. It's antiseptic and helps heal cuts and prevent scarring.

More about our marigold seeds

Marigolds brighten up your garden box. The plants improve the soil, ward off harmful insects and nasty nematodes, and attract beneficial insects.

Marigolds belong in every vegetable garden 😀

  • Species name: Pacific Beauty mixed
  • Family: flower
  • Plants per square patch: 2
  • Height: up to 50 cm
  • Sowing time: March-May and August-September
  • Sowing depth: 0.5 to 1 cm
  • Germination time: 14 - 18°C in 14 - 20 days
  • Time to bloom: 8 to 10 weeks
  • Sunlight: can grow in sun or semi-shade

Want to buy marigold seeds? We sell bags of marigold seeds separately and as part of our essentials seed pack:

What do you need to grow your own marigolds?

Here's everything you need to grow marigolds:
  • a 30x30 cm patch with airy, nutrient-rich soil mix
  • marigold seeds
  • a place with at least 8 hours of sunlight a day

In other words, an MM-Mini, or a square patch in one of our garden boxes, filled with MM-Mix.

Growing marigolds in this perfect soil mix is super easy. If you use poor-quality (potting) soil, it's much harder and the results will be disappointing. So just go for the best 😉
Goudsbloemen in de Makkelijke Moestuin
Marigold

How to sow and grow marigold?

Our marigold is included in the free Planty Gardening app. Use it, and you'll get step-by-step guidance from seed to harvest.

Each vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and checks in when your plants are ready for the next.

So you don't need to know how to grow marigolds before you start: the app takes you through every step.

But if you'd like to read more about those steps, here's what the process looks like:

Level 1: Sowing marigolds

Choose a square patch in the 2nd or 3rd row of your garden box. Loosen up the MM-Mix and sow like this:

  • poke 4 holes in the patch (no deeper than 1 cm)
  • put 2 in each hole
  • carefully cover up the holes with soil mix

You sow in 4 holes because marigold seeds don't always germinate that easily. This way there's a high chance you'll get 2 beautiful plants - and that's all you need.

After about 3 weeks, you'll see something green come up. It depends a bit on the weather.
Goudsbloemen zaaien in de Makkelijke Moestuin

Level 2: Marigold seedlings

As soon as you see the first seedlings, you know things are going well. They probably won't all come up at once, but give it another week.

Then it's time for the next level.

Level 3: Thinning marigold seedlings

When more than 1 seedling comes up in each spot that you sowed, choose the best ones and remove the rest: that's called thinning out. It might sound harsh, but it's necessary. The remaining plants need enough room to grow. You'll be glad you did it.
Klein goudsbloemplantje in de Makkelijke Moestuin
Small marigold seedling

Level 4: Caring for your marigold plants

After a week or 2, your seedlings will become small plants. Choose the 2 best-looking plants and remove the others. Now you have the 2 marigold plants that you'll enjoy for weeks to come.

You hardly need to do anything now: if the weather's dry, give them some water and remove the odd dead or yellow leaf. Easy 🙂

Level 5: Flowering marigolds

About 8 to 9 weeks after sowing, you'll see the first flowers. Cut off any dead flower heads immediately so new buds can take their place.

Marigolds grow fast and can get to be pretty big. If they get too big, just cut back a few stems.
Bloeiende goudsbloemen trekken nuttige insecten aan
Flowering marigolds attract beneficial insects

What do you use marigold for?

The top reason to grow marigolds is to make a great growing environment for your other plants. They keep pests away from your vegetables. Plus: they brighten up your garden box.

As a bonus, the petals are edible: a nice garnish for salads, rice dishes, and omelets.

You can also make tea from marigolds to help fight inflammation and treat stomach aches. Or make an ointment for healthy skin.
Zelf calendulazalf maken
Making your own calendula ointment

The final levels

Marigolds can be left in your garden box for the whole year. They keep blooming until it gets really cold. As they age, the petals fall off and the leaves turn brown. So, pick off any sad-looking flower heads and remove ugly or extremely long branches. The marigolds will keep producing new flowers.

In fall or humid weather, marigold plants can sometimes mildew. Just remove the affected leaves or branches.

If the plant gets really ugly then remove it completely. Tidy up your empty patch, and get ready to sow something new.
Goudsbloemen in de winter in de Makkelijke Moestuin
Marigold in the winter

So, what's stopping you from growing your own marigolds?

They are super easy to sow, grow, and maintain and the flowers are beautiful. They're also the best companion plants for your other vegetables.

Plus: with our app and materials, it's almost impossible to fail 😉

Order your marigold seeds here or get started with a complete starter kit:
Enjoy your marigolds!
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