Calendula

Flower · cool season · also called pot marigold

Orange and yellow calendula flowers
Photo: MDNAciccone, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

When to plant

  • Sow seeds outdoors about 2 weeks before your average last spring frost.
  • It can also be grown as a fall crop, timed back from your first fall frost.
  • Ready to harvest about 50 days after planting.

Edible petals. Keeps blooming into light frosts.

Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.

Growing basics

Sun
Part sun (4–6 hours)
Spacing
10 in
Soil temperature
At least 45°F
Time to harvest
About 50 days
Containers
At least 1 gallons
Plant family
Lettuce and daisy family
Harvest per plant
About 0.1 lb
Seeds keep
About 5 years

Companions

Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.

Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.

Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.

Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.

Grow it well

Tips

  • Snip off faded flowers. Zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, and other annual flowers keep blooming longer if you cut off the old flowers before they set seed.

More garden tips →

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