Warm-season and frost-tender. Start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost; plant out 2 to 3 weeks after your last frost; sow outdoors 2 to 4 weeks after your last frost. First blooms 55 to 80 days from sowing.
Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest marigolds where you live, from your own frost dates.
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From seed to harvest
SowSeed goes inWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1
Thin or plant outGive each plant roomWeek 2–4
BudsFlower buds showWeek 6–9
BloomIn full flowerWeek 8–11
Keep cuttingCut often for moreWeek 8–12
How to plant and grow
Start indoors early
Sow seed 1/4 inch deep indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost; start tall African types at the early end. Seedlings appear in about a week.
Plant after frost
Set transplants out 2 to 3 weeks after your last frost. Direct sow once the soil is above 65 °F. French types can be sown into midsummer.
Space by type
Set French and signet types 8 to 10 inches apart and African types 12 to 16 inches apart. Thin direct-sown seedlings to the same spacing.
Give full sun
Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. Shade and cool, damp spots mean fewer flowers and more mildew.
Water deeply
Keep new plants evenly moist, then give about an inch a week and let the soil dry slightly between waterings. Water at the base and skip high-nitrogen fertilizer.
Deadhead for bloom
Pick off spent flowers to keep plants blooming from early summer until frost and to cut down on disease.
Avoid broad insecticides; they kill mite predators and can start an outbreak.
Organic options
Hose leaf undersides hard, often.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Release predatory mites once pest mites are present.
Conventional options
Same as organic. Broad insecticides often make mites worse.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Aphids on Kale leaf” by Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
AphidsPest
What you'll see: Clusters of small, soft-bodied green, black or gray insects on new shoots and under leaves. Leaves curl, and a sticky film may coat them.
Prevent
Check leaf undersides each week; a few aphids do little harm.
Pull nearby weeds, such as wild mustards, that feed aphids.
Grow flowers for lady beetles, lacewings and hover flies, and avoid broad sprays that kill them.
Organic options
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).
Conventional options
Malathion or permethrin, if the crop is on the label. These also kill the insects that eat aphids.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Deroceras reticulatum” by Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
SlugsPest
What you'll see: Ragged holes in leaves and fruit, and shiny slime trails, mostly after damp nights.
Prevent
Clear mulch and leaf litter close to plants so the ground can dry.
Start early; do not wait for a heavy infestation.
Organic options
Sink shallow containers of beer to the rim; empty and refill them often.
Iron phosphate bait scattered on the soil around plants. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Same as organic: iron phosphate bait is the pick for food gardens, being far less harmful to pets and wildlife.
Photo: “Powdery mildew 9” by Dmitry Brant, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
Powdery mildewDisease
What you'll see: White, powdery patches on the tops of leaves and on stems. Leaves yellow and dry, and fruit may ripen poorly.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties.
Give plants sun and space for air flow.
Remove badly infected leaves, and clear debris after harvest.
Organic options
Sulfur or potassium bicarbonate, from the first spots. Sulfur can burn some vine crops in heat, and never use it near an oil spray.
Neem oil. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Myclobutanil or propiconazole, if the crop is on the label.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
What you'll see: Soft brown rot covered in fuzzy gray mold on fruit, flowers or leaves, or small sunken brown or gray spots near the base of shallot bulbs. It is worst in cool, wet weather.
Prevent
Mulch strawberries with straw so fruit does not touch damp soil.
Space plants for air flow and water at the base in the morning.
Go easy on nitrogen in spring.
Pick ripe fruit often and remove rotting fruit and dead flowers.
Organic options
Remove moldy fruit and plant parts. Organic sprays have little proof of working, so rely on the steps above.
Conventional options
Same as organic. In home gardens the steps above work best; fungicides are mainly for commercial growers.
What you'll see: Pale, winding trails or blotches inside leaves, where tiny larvae feed between the leaf surfaces.
Prevent
Cover beets, chard and spinach with row cover before the flies appear in spring, but not over soil that had leaf miners last year.
Pull weeds such as lambsquarters and pigweed.
Crush the small white eggs on leaf undersides.
Organic options
Pick off and bin mined leaves while damage is light.
Conventional options
Sprays do little, since the larvae are shielded inside the leaf. Mines in beet leaves do not harm the roots.
Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.
The link opens this growing guide, so anyone can read it and look up their own planting dates.
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Sow
Sprout
Thin or plant out
Buds
Bloom
Keep cutting
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