Homeschool Garden Club - Marigolds
Here at the Orchard Training Garden Club, we are branching out from the basic vegetables. We are now looking at edible flowers. This week, we are looking at marigolds. You can add the petals to salads to make them bright and colourful. They will flower from summer to autumn.
Marigolds are bright orange and yellow flowers – some look like daisies and some look like pom-poms. There are French marigolds, African Marigolds and ‘Pot marigolds’ (not really a marigold, but a plant called ‘Calendula’). They are not fussy about where they grow and can be grown in pots but I have not done so. They are great to plant among the vegetables as they keep the pests away. I put the French marigolds towards the path and the African ones towards the back.
Marigolds flower for a long time and are good for bees, butterflies and other polinators. Last year, we grew them as a crop. You can eat them! We used the natural yellow dye as part of our art activities.
You Will need:
• Packet of seeds
• Container, window box or hanging basket
• Multi-purpose compost
These are the ones we have tried already in the Homeschool Garden Club and will be growing this year again.
French Marigolds: Colossuss
African Marigolds: Mission Giant
Sow from March to May
• Sprinkle the seeds on the ground or in containers.
• Cover with a thin layer of soil or compost.
• Check water levels.
• They take 1-2 weeks to geminate.
• Pot on when you see the true leaves and plant out after the last frost.
• Water your plants and keep the soil moist.
• ‘Deadheading’ - removing dead flowers - will keep them blooming longer.
