How to Grow Marigolds From Seed

Marigolds are frost-tender annuals, so sow them outdoors after the last spring frost once the soil has warmed. For earlier color, start seeds indoors about 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date and set the seedlings out once nights stay mild. In the Deep South and Southwest, marigolds shrug off summer heat and can be sown from spring well into summer for fall bloom.

Marigolds sprout fast and easily. Sow the slender seeds shallowly, about an eighth to a quarter inch deep, in a sunny spot with well-drained soil, and keep them evenly moist. At around 70 to 75F they germinate in just 4 to 7 days. Thin or space French types 6 to 8 inches apart and the taller African types about 12 inches apart.

Marigolds are famously low-maintenance. Give them full sun, water when the top inch of soil dries, and avoid rich feeding, which produces leaves instead of flowers. Deadhead spent blooms to keep new buds coming all season. In hot, dry regions they thrive with little fuss, though in muggy climates like the Gulf Coast, space them well and water at the base to head off leaf spot and mold on the dense African types.

Marigolds are the classic vegetable-garden companion, prized for masking crops from pests and drawing in beneficial insects. These four pair especially well, and you can add any of them in one click:

For fresh color, cut marigold stems as the blooms fully open and deadhead often to keep more coming. To save seed, let some flowers fade and dry right on the plant until the base is brown and papery, then pull off the dried head and tease out the long, black-and-white seeds. Dry them a few more days before storing cool and dark for next spring.

Marigolds do more than look cheerful. Planted as an edging around tomatoes, peppers, and beans, their strong scent helps mask those crops from some pests, while the open flowers feed bees and hoverflies. They make bright, long-lasting cut flowers, and the petals of the pot-friendly types have long been used to add color to the garden and the table.

• All leaves, few flowers: too much nitrogen. Stop feeding and keep the soil on the lean side.
• Gray mold on big African types: crowding and damp. Space them out and water at the base, not overhead.
• Spider mites in hot, dry spells: rinse foliage with a strong spray of water and keep plants from drying out completely.
• Slugs on young seedlings: protect new sprouts and clear debris where slugs hide.