Friday Rookie Topic X: Marigolds

Marigolds are like the Opera (per Richard Gere's quote about the opera in Pretty Woman) "You either love them, or learn to appreciate them". I am not a huge fan of them, and in fact hated them until I read Mel's book on SFGing and another book about companion planting and decided to try again. I then learned to appreciate them, and have even begun to see their beauty, even if I still hate the smell. They are still not my favorite flower, mostly because of their scent, but however they do earn their keep.



Marigolds are a member of the Tagetes family, which is in the Sunflower family. They are native to North and South America, but are now grown all over the world. It is also considered a non-invasive plant, but stick with me and see how mine get out of hand very easily.



From Wikipedia.

Description

Tagetes species vary in size from 0.01-2.2 m tall. They have pinnate green leaves. Blooms are naturally in golden, orange, yellow, and white colors, often with maroon highlights. Floral heads are typically (0.1-) to 4–6 cm diameter, generally with both ray florets and disc florets. In horticulture they tend to be planted as annuals, although the perennial species are gaining popularity.

Depending on the species, Tagetes grow well in almost any sort of soil. Most horticultural selections grow best in soil with good drainage.



Pasted from





The common English name means "Mary's Gold", but in Nepal it's name means "Hundred Leaf Flower". The more common types are Mexican Marigold, African Marigold, and French Marigold, although all originate from North & South America.



More from Wikipedia….

Cultivation and uses

Depending on the species, marigold foliage has a musky, pungent scent, though some varieties have been bred to be scentless. It is said to deter some common insect pests, as well as nematodes. Tagetes are hence often used in companion planting for tomato, eggplant, chili pepper, tobacco and potato. Some of the perennial species are deer-, rabbit-, rodent- and peccary-resistant.

T. minuta (Khakibush or Huacatay), originally from South America, has been used as a source of essential oil for the perfume industry known as tagette, and as a flavourant in the food and tobacco industries. It is commonly cultivated in South Africa, where the species is also a useful pioneer plant in the reclamation of disturbed land.

The florets of Tagetes erecta are rich in the orange-yellow carotenoid lutein and are used as a food colour (INS-Number E161b) in the European Union for foods such as pasta, vegetable oil, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing, baked goods, confectionary, dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, citrus juice and mustard. In the United States, however, the powders and extracts are only approved as colorants in poultry feed.

Marigolds are recorded as a food plant for some Lepidoptera caterpillars including the Dot Moth, and a nectar source for other Butterflies. They are often part of Butterfly gardening plantings.

Marigolds are often used for science projects. They can be used in so many ways.



Pasted from



If you notice beans and peas are not on that companion planting list, I've read it's a no-no as they do not play nice together. Actually the roots of the Marigold are said to act as a repellent to beans. I do have one or two near some beans, but they seem to be playing nice so far, we'll see.



From Garden Guides….

Marigolds are easy to grow and have a long flowering period. African marigolds have a upright growth and can reach a height of 30-40 inches, while French marigolds grow to only 8-16 inches. The scent is strong and somewhat unpleasant, and is effective in repelling many garden pests. African marigolds come in shades of yellow and orange, while French marigolds are often multicolored in shades of orange, yellow, mahogany and crimson. Both are suitable for massed plantings or pots. They are attractive as cut flowers if the scent isn't a problem. Change the water in the vase frequently.



Read more: Marigold | Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/92-marigold-garden-basics-flower-annual-tagetes-patula.html#ixzz1Otl6Z7XR



HA, I measure my Marigolds by the foot, not inches. Which is what lead me to write about this, I have already trimmed mine back 3 times this year because they were not only crowding their neighbors, but shading plants that did not need shade. See, it may say DWARF on the plant tag, and some will insist that it truly does mean the size of the plant, but it's been my personal experience (and I read this in Mel's ANSFG book -on the second read) that dwarf means more the size of the flower than the plant. Also, saving from seed can cause it to revert back to some original characteristics. If you do save seeds for this, I highly recommend tossing these in the freezer, the only one's I got to grow from saved seeds were the ones I left in the garden. Also note, it is the root system that usually repels the bugs, so you will probably get better results the second year you plant them than the first year.



Here is a link to a "just the facts" page about Marigolds.

http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/flowers/marigold.htm



And before I share a few pictures, I wanted to add, next year the boxes that will have Marigolds will only get 1 plant in the FAR corner of that square, I did five per square this year and it is way to much in some of them.



Okay, here are some of my Marigolds. I purchased 2 plants last year from Lowe's, they were on the half price rack, and I nursed them back to health using fish emulsion. These are from the seeds I saved.



You can't see them, but there are 2 pepper plants between the Marigolds in the front box, this is 5 plants per square, the peas behind them are over 2' tall.



I did eventually pull these up, because I put beans in this box with the corn, but you can see how the spread.





This is what they looked like a month ago, I keep these thinned out to 3 per square, and keep them cut back, I don't want these peppers (tequila sunrise) getting too much shade.





Share your pictures and experiences with Marigolds.

FarmerValerie wrote:

Marigolds are like the Opera (per Richard Gere's quote about the opera in Pretty Woman) "You either love them, or learn to appreciate them".  ... Marigolds are a member of the Tagetes family, which is in the Sunflower family. 

FarmerValerie wrote:In honor of Mel Bartholomew, today's Rookie Topic is Marigolds.   They sound simple enough to grow, stick in the ground, water occasionally, and just let the go, but that's not always the case.  What kind do you want, what do you want them for, do you really need to know all the technical stuff?  The answer to the first two are up to you, but the answer to the last question is no, not really, but in my third year of growing Marigolds I have learned a few things first hand that I wish I had known, and I really do want to pass the information along.  

Marigolds are like the Opera (per Richard Gere's quote about the opera in Pretty Woman) "You either love them, or learn to appreciate them".  I am not a huge fan of them, and in fact hated them until I read Mel's book on SFGing and another book about companion planting and decided to try again.  I then learned to appreciate them, and have even begun to see their beauty, even if I still hate the smell.  They are still not my favorite flower, mostly because of their scent, but however they do earn their keep. Marigolds are a member of the Tagetes family, which is in the Sunflower family.  They are native to North and South America, but are now grown all over the world.  It is also considered a non-invasive plant, but stick with me and see how mine get out of hand very easily. From Wikipedia.DescriptionTagetes species vary in size from 0.01-2.2 m tall. They have pinnate green leaves. Blooms are naturally in golden, orange, yellow, and white colors, often with maroon highlights. Floral heads are typically (0.1-) to 4–6 cm diameter, generally with both ray florets and disc florets. In horticulture they tend to be planted as annuals, although the perennial species are gaining popularity.Depending on the species, Tagetes grow well in almost any sort of soil. Most horticultural selections grow best in soil with good drainage. Pasted from The common English name means "Mary's Gold", but in Nepal it's name means "Hundred Leaf Flower".  The more common types are Mexican Marigold, African Marigold, and French Marigold, although all originate from North & South America. More from Wikipedia….Cultivation and usesDepending on the species, marigold foliage has a musky, pungent scent, though some varieties have been bred to be scentless. It is said to deter some common insect pests, as well as nematodes. Tagetes are hence often used in companion planting for tomato, eggplant, chili pepper, tobacco and potato. Some of the perennial species are deer-, rabbit-, rodent- and peccary-resistant.T. minuta (Khakibush or Huacatay), originally from South America, has been used as a source of essential oil for the perfume industry known as tagette, and as a flavourant in the food and tobacco industries. It is commonly cultivated in South Africa, where the species is also a useful pioneer plant in the reclamation of disturbed land.The florets of Tagetes erecta are rich in the orange-yellow carotenoid lutein and are used as a food colour (INS-Number E161b) in the European Union for foods such as pasta, vegetable oil, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing, baked goods, confectionary, dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, citrus juice and mustard. In the United States, however, the powders and extracts are only approved as colorants in poultry feed.Marigolds are recorded as a food plant for some Lepidoptera caterpillars including the Dot Moth, and a nectar source for other Butterflies. They are often part of Butterfly gardening plantings.Marigolds are often used for science projects. They can be used in so many ways. Pasted from If you notice beans and peas are not on that companion planting list, I've read it's a no-no as they do not play nice together.  Actually the roots of the Marigold are said to act as a repellent to beans.  I do have one or two near some beans, but they seem to be playing nice so far, we'll see. From Garden Guides….Marigolds are easy to grow and have a long flowering period. African marigolds have a upright growth and can reach a height of 30-40 inches, while French marigolds grow to only 8-16 inches. The scent is strong and somewhat unpleasant, and is effective in repelling many garden pests. African marigolds come in shades of yellow and orange, while French marigolds are often multicolored in shades of orange, yellow, mahogany and crimson. Both are suitable for massed plantings or pots. They are attractive as cut flowers if the scent isn't a problem. Change the water in the vase frequently. Read more: Marigold | Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/92-marigold-garden-basics-flower-annual-tagetes-patula.html#ixzz1Otl6Z7XR HA, I measure my Marigolds by the foot, not inches.  Which is what lead me to write about this, I have already trimmed mine back 3 times this year because they were not only crowding their neighbors, but shading plants that did not need shade.  See, it may say DWARF on the plant tag, and some will insist that it truly does mean the size of the plant, but it's been my personal experience (and I read this in Mel's ANSFG book -on the second read) that dwarf means more the size of the flower than the plant.  Also, saving from seed can cause it to revert back to some original characteristics.  If you do save seeds for this, I highly recommend tossing these in the freezer, the only one's I got to grow from saved seeds were the ones I left in the garden.  Also note, it is the root system that usually repels the bugs, so you will probably get better results the second year you plant them than the first year. Here is a link to a "just the facts" page about Marigolds.http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/flowers/marigold.htm And before I share a few pictures, I wanted to add, next year the boxes that will have Marigolds will only get 1 plant in the FAR corner of that square, I did five per square this year and it is way to much in some of them. Okay, here are some of my Marigolds.  I purchased 2 plants last year from Lowe's, they were  on the half price rack, and I nursed them back to health using fish emulsion.  These are from the seeds I saved.You can't see them, but there are 2 pepper plants between the Marigolds in the front box, this is 5 plants per square, the peas behind them are over 2' tall. I did eventually pull these up, because I put beans in this box with the corn, but you can see how the spread. This is what they looked like a month ago, I keep these thinned out to 3 per square, and keep them cut back, I don't want these peppers (tequila sunrise) getting too much shade. Share your pictures and experiences with Marigolds.

countrynaturals wrote:So, could I put a square of marigolds in with the onions and radishes in my new Deer-Be-Gone garden or would Bambi's cousins just laugh at me? I didn't even think about the deer when I was talking about edging the pool with marigolds.  

OhioGardener wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:So, could I put a square of marigolds in with the onions and radishes in my new Deer-Be-Gone garden or would Bambi's cousins just laugh at me? I didn't even think about the deer when I was talking about edging the pool with marigolds.  

I always plant Marigolds among my vegetables to repel insects and prevent root knot nematodes, and I can honestly say the deer have never eaten one single Marigold. They did eat some of the beans, lettuce, chard, etc., planted next to the Marigolds, but they never ate the Marigolds. 

Scorpio Rising wrote:https://i.servimg.com/u/f62/19/25/77/83/9d088910.png

Grrrr!  This marigold is NOWHERE in stores around me.  Online, it’s $5.29/pack!!!!  What?  For seeds????  

Please keep an eye out if you are flower seed shopping!!!!