Marigold Plant Profile

 

Marigold Plant Profile

Marigold (Tagetes spp.) is an annual flower that attracts beneficial insects making them a great companion plant to your vegetable garden.

Marigolds bloom in shades of yellow to orange to deep reds. They flower continually from summer into fall.

Marigolds have a distinctive scent which helps to deter whiteflies and rabbits.

There are 50 species of marigolds including African marigolds, which despite the name are actually native to  native to Mexico and Central America. These tend to be taller kinds and are quite drought-tolerant.

French marigolds tend to be smaller, bushier, and more compact kinds.

The smallest of all are the signet marigolds, which are petite plants rarely over growing taller than a foot. These kinds are perfect for containers or edging a path.

All marigolds are easy to grow from seed and their seeds are easy to save and store for planting next year. Directly sow the seeds in a full sun spot in late spring or early summer. They do not normally need fertilizing. When watering them, aim the water at their roots and not their foliage. Be careful not to overwater them as they can rot in too-wet soil conditions.

You can deadhead them as flowers fade and sheer the whole plant back if they get leggy and floppy –  but it is not necessary as marigolds are generally low-care and will still thrive with benign neglect.

Marigolds can be cut for fresh bouquets or dried for long-lasting floral arrangements

Marigolds: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, Video, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Colin Davan

 

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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

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https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/07/borage-plant-profile.html

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https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/calendula-plant-profile.html

~ Yarrow Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/06/yarrow-plant-profile.html

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Fenton Friday Meets Bloom Day

I don't recall another time when my weekly Fenton Friday reports on our community garden overlapped with the 15th of the month aka Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, though I' m sure it must have... In any case, here is my combined post. 

The bloom that is putting on a terrific show right now in the garden plot is the Marigold 'Big Duck Yellow'. We started it from seed and it is just now really hitting its stride. The flowers are HUGE and the bumblebees are burying their heads into them. I had quite a struggle finding a few full blooms to cut as the bees were not letting me! It was an AAS winner in 2019. These plants is very sturdy and tall, so I am using it to divide the cherry tomatoes from another bed, as the indeterminate tomato plants would take over that whole side of the plot, if we let them.

We harvested the largest leaves from the 'Viroflay' Spinach today and picked some more cherry tomatoes. We also cut some branches off the Holy Basil aka Tulsi for the interns to sample. 

Last week's replacement seeding of 'Garden Party' radish mix and 'Shanghai Baby' Bok Choy are all up and doing great! Today, we thinned out the radish seedlings and can likely thin the bok choy next week.

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Fenton Friday: A Planting Frenzy

New Plantings -
Basils, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers

This week was a very hot and busy one in the community garden plot. The new interns and I planted several test groups. We put in four Cucumber hills: 'Marketmore,' ''Silver Slicer, "White Wonder,' and 'Early Spring Burpless.' We added four kinds of Basil from seedlings: Prospera (a mildew-resistant Genovese), Lime, Thai, and Tuli/Holy - as well as seeded a row of 'Dolce Vita Blend' to use those for mildew-resistance comparison. For Tomatoes, we planted 'White Currant,' 'Apple Yellow,' 'Celano,' 'Resilience, 'Sun Gold' and 'Sun Sugar.' I also planted a row of Marigold 'Happy Days Mix' on each sde of the Tomatoes.

I have been harvesting 'Snak Hero' Peas everyday and also cutting Sweet Pea 'Beaujolais' for little indoor bouquets. I've gotten a few Strawberries and Asparagus spears to eat also, I dug out a couple of the Beets to test them, but they are still a bit small, so I will leave them in longer. I covered all of the lettuces with a protective cloth because the sudden heat and intense sun were so brutal this week.

Aside from lots more weeding, I still have some seeds to plant for Okra, Watermelon, etc. We'll see if I actually have room for any of that!

What are you harvesting this week in your edible garden? 

Sweet Pea 'Beaujolais' 

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.