From Humble Beginnings…
Do you know what these are?
They look like a pile of match sticks, don’t they?
I never cease to be amazed at the humble beginnings that most flowers arise from.
Can you tell what type of seeds these are?
They are marigold seeds.
Marigolds are very easy to grow from seed. Once the flowers die, simply pull out the dried petals and you have seeds with which to plant new ones.
I use marigolds in my vegetable gardens as a companion plant.
They not only look pretty, but also help to repel damaging bugs from attacking my vegetables.
During mild winters, they will grow from fall through spring – but can be killed back from freezing temperatures. They usually die in summer in my desert garden. But, once the cooler weather of fall arrives, they come up again from seed.
They meet my criteria of a fuss-free plant. Marigolds don’t need rich soil or fertilizer. Where you plant them is up to you, but they do best in sunny areas.
Marigolds also make great container plants and also look nice in bouquets.
You can find marigolds at most nurseries where annual flowers are located. Or, you can plant them easily from seed.
How about you?
Have you ever grown marigolds?
How do you use them in your garden?
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
I've never planted them, but it looks like I should. They'd probably do well on my south side, reflected-sun spot in the winter (Tucson), and my north side in the summer!
Well, marigolds won't last through winter here in Ohio, but we still use them as companion plants in the vegetable garden. I've grown them from seed and from plants. But with the shorter growing season in the north, it's so tempting to just jump right into plants to get a longer season.
I have done so many seed planting in the past. One year I planted 144 dozen – really. Now I mostly buy plants. Getting lazy I would suspect! I always seem to start them too early – then I have to wait to plant them outside and they do not do well being patient in the house! Jack