Planting Out Marigolds In Spring – Be Sure To Harden Them Off And Water In Well
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By PETER LICKORISH
Peter is a Horticulture Lecturer and self-employed Horticulturist, with a passion for diverse areas of the industry - from garden design to the science behind plant growth and propagation. He has completed the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture (MHort) Award and lectures on RHS courses at Bedford College.
Contributions From EMILY CUPIT
Emily is a Gardening Writer, Photographer and Videographer from Derbyshire, UK. She is the Founder of Emily's Green Diary - a community of more than 75,000 people who share in her gardening journey.
IN THIS GUIDE
Marigolds (Tagetes) are a wonderful choice for an organic garden.
Not only do they flower beautifully and abundantly over a long period, they also draw in pollinators and beneficial predatory insects.
Marigolds can be grown from seed, though can also easily be purchased as plug plants or bedding plants for a summer garden.
Here are some key rules when planting out marigolds:
- Be sure to harden off marigolds sown indoors before planting out.
- Prepare a suitable growing area for your marigolds.
- Consider using marigolds in companion planting.
- Plant your marigolds around 15cm apart, mulch, and water in well after planting.
By following the easy steps in this guide, you’ll be able to get the best out of your marigold crops.
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Equipment Required | Trowel |
| When To Plant Out | April – June |
Where To Plant Tagetes Marigolds
Marigolds, especially taller ‘African Marigold’ varieties, can be truly stunning in mass plantings – innumerable globules of varying tints of gold in the sunlight is a sight to behold.
Such a mass planting can be of a single variety for an intense and overwhelming effect, or it can feature many different types and colours to introduce variation and to show off the heights and forms of the plants, and the hues of their respective flowers.
We do not believe that conventional Marigold varieties make great potted plants or specimen plants. On the other hand, the F1 hybrids of the Zenith series are as if made to order for growing in pots and containers.
Zenith series Marigolds may actually present themselves better in small containers, and even as accent plants.
They form a neat bush shape, combining some of the best qualities of their ‘African’ and ‘French’ parent plants.
Both T. erecta and T. patula varieties are ideally suited for, besides mass plantings, courtyard gardens and formal gardens.
If a plant and a flower could ever be called ‘architectural,’ the African Marigold is it.
As a general rule, ‘French Marigold’ varieties are great choices for edging and for the front of mixed beds while T. erecta varieties are equally good choices for the middle and rear of mixed beds.
Marigold varieties’ hues in the yellow-to-red spectrum can be mixed with plants bearing flowers in similarly warm hues, or matched with complementary blues and purples for a visually striking bed.
Marigolds, particularly ‘French Marigolds’, are very frequently deployed as companion plants for vegetables.
Not only do they provide a pleasing visual focus, but such ‘deployment’ of these ‘weaponised’ members of the Plant Kingdom is also beneficial for almost all vegetables except legumes as Marigold roots repel soil nematodes, the plants deter aphids, and the flowers lure slugs and snails away from veggies!
When To Plant Marigolds
Marigolds should only be planted out in your garden once all risk of frost has passed in your area.
This is likely to be sometime between April and June depending on where you live in the UK.
1) Harden Off Your Marigolds
If you have grown marigolds from seed, you will likely have sown your seeds indoors or under cover in early spring.
Your young plants should be hardened off over a couple of weeks by acclimatising them gradually to outdoor conditions before you plant them out in your garden.
You may also directly sow your marigolds where you want them bloom.
If you take this route, then you won’t need to plant out, but rather thin the seedlings to 10-20cm apart (depending on which type you are growing).
2) Prepare A Growing Area
Marigolds will thrive in a sunny and sheltered location with reasonably fertile, well-drained soil.
They can be grown in the ground, in raised beds, or in containers as long as their basic growing needs are met.
If growing in the ground where soil is less than optimal, you may wish to consider improving the soil with organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure before planting.
Typically, however, adding a mulch around the plants upon planting will be sufficient to provide the nutrients they need.
It will also help seal in moisture; this is important because marigolds do not bounce back well from being dried out.
3) Consider Companion Planting
When thinking about where you will grow marigolds, it is a great idea to think about the potential to use them as companion plants in a kitchen garden.
Marigolds can be a great companion plant for a range of plants, including tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and other warm-season crops.
The marigolds in the example above are companion planted with Nasturtiums.
They can deter whitefly and some other pests, bring in pollinators, and attract other beneficial wildlife to your space.
French marigolds may also repel certain nematodes that can cause harm to plants.
4) Planting Out Marigolds
Once you have decided where to plant out your marigolds, simply take a trowel and make a hole large enough to accommodate each one.
Place the plants into the holes, making sure the soil or growing medium is at the same level.
Space French marigolds around 15cm apart – and larger marigolds at a spacing of around 20cm as a rough rule of thumb.
Water your plants in well, then spread an organic mulch around your plants.
This is not only for fertility but also for water conservation and weed suppression.
