Sow the marigold directly in the bed
Since the marigold grows quickly in full sun to partially shaded locations with not too wet soil, you can easily sow the popular dried flower and medicinal plant directly in the garden bed. But you should wait until April or May so that the sensitive young plants cannot be damaged by late night frosts. At a germination temperature of 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, the germination of the calendula flower seeds takes about 8 to 15 days. There are many reasons to sow the seeds of the pretty looking marigold in the garden:
- the decoratively colored flowers
- use as a cut flower
- the harvest for use as a medicinal plant
- the use as a snail barrier around the salad bed
also read
- The ideal location for the marigold
- Plant the marigold in the garden and on the balcony
- The flowering period of the marigold
Prefer the Calendula officinalis indoors
The marigold can also be brought out indoors for a particularly strong start to the outdoor season. To do this, sow three to five of the seeds in a pot with soil that is as low in nutrients as possible and cover them only lightly with substrate. Moisten the fresh seeds well and place them in a light and evenly warm place. It is important to use seed compost that is as nutrient-poor as possible, as otherwise the plants can shoot up too early and too strongly and then do not tolerate planting outdoors as well. You can also regulate the growth of vigorously growing young plants by placing them in the house either a little warmer and lighter or colder and less bright.
Simply harvest the flower seeds yourself
Many hobby gardeners still remember playing with the ringed flower seeds of the calendula as children and sowing them themselves. After all, the sickle-shaped seeds are relatively large and significantly easier to grasp than some other flower seeds. Therefore, harvesting is also pretty easy: just wait until the withered flowers of the calendula have turned into a gray-brown wreath of dry seeds. These are ripe when they can be easily peeled off when touched. To do this, of course, you have to leave at least some withered flowers on the herbaceous plants and you must not remove all of the faded flower heads during the flowering period for visual reasons.
Tips
You don't necessarily have to choose either of the two if you want to harvest marigold petals and seeds for nutritional and medicinal use. Regularly cutting off individual flower heads stimulates the calendula to form more flowers. Therefore, harvest the petals for drying as a tea base as early as possible in summer so that you can let the later flowers stand until the seeds are fully ripe.
