Calibrated to Pick your zone and the dates re-calibrate.

The Guide Flowers Vol. 003

Marigold

in Zone 5, this week

Marigolds are easy, cheerful flowers and the classic companion plant, grown for blooms rather than food. They love heat and full sun, handle poor soil and dry spells, and bloom from summer until the first fall frost. There are three main kinds: small bushy French marigolds, tall big-flowered African (or American) marigolds, and tiny lacy Signet marigolds with edible petals. Plant the seeds outside after your last frost once the soil is warm, and you get flowers in about two months. Keep snipping off faded blooms to get more. Their most proven garden trick is fighting soil nematodes: grow a thick patch of French marigolds and dig them in before planting vegetables that nematodes attack. Marigold (Tagetes species) is a warm-season, frost-tender annual in the Asteraceae family, native to Mexico and Central America. It is grown for showy blooms and as the classic companion plant, in three main types: compact French marigolds (Tagetes patula), tall large-pompon African or American marigolds (Tagetes erecta), and petite, lacy, edible-flowered Signet marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia). Sown into warm soil after frost, it reaches first bloom in roughly 7 to 9 weeks and flowers continuously from summer until the first fall frost. It thrives in heat, full sun, and even poor soil, and is notably drought-tolerant once established. Its best-supported pest function is nematode suppression: French marigolds grown as a dense cover stand and incorporated lower root-knot nematode populations for the following crop.

Fig. 01 · Marigold, mature Zone 5

Mature in

50-70d

from transplant

Sunlight

Full sun

6-8 hrs daily

Water

Moderate

Spacing

8-16"

between plants

Soil pH

6-7

slightly acidic

Today · in your zone

What's happening right now

July 24 · Zone 5 · Stage 01 · Germination

Off-season for marigold in zone 5.

The season at a glance

Planting calendar

In Zone 5, marigold can be planted May through July. Start indoors Mar 31 - Apr 14. In bloom July through October.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

plant

too cold

indoors

plant

too late

too cold

bloom

indoors

plant out

bloom

Keep them blooming Deadhead spent blooms through the bloom window to keep new flowers coming.

Seasoned

Stagger your sowings

Succession planting

For flowers all season, plant a new small batch of seeds every 2 to 3 weeks from after the last frost into midsummer. Fresh young plants give the best flowers late in the season. Unlike cool-season crops, marigolds love the heat, so you do not stop for summer.Sow successively every 2 to 3 weeks from after last frost through midsummer to keep fresh, vigorous plants coming; older plantings tire as the season wears on. There is no heat pause: marigolds thrive through peak summer.

Every 2 weeks · sow a short new rowUp to 12 sowings a season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

sow

bloom

keep sowing

continuous bloom

The season, mapped

Seed to garden

The easiest way is to sow marigold seeds straight into warm garden soil (about 65 to 70 °F) after your last frost, a quarter inch deep; they sprout in under a week. For a head start, or for the tall African types, start them indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost (about 8 weeks for African) and move them outside afterward. You can pinch the tops of tall types once to make them bushier.Marigolds direct-sow readily into warm soil (about 65 to 70 °F) at 1/4 in depth and germinate in 5 to 8 days, the simplest method in long-season areas. To gain weeks or for the slow-developing tall African types, start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost (up to 8 weeks for African) and transplant after frost. Pinch tall African types once to encourage branching; French and Signet types need no pinching.

01
Sow indoors →
Mar 31 - Apr 14

Start about 5 weeks before your last frost
02
Transplant out →
May 15 - Jun 5

After hardening off
03

First harvest

From Jul 17

50-70 days from transplant

Start method

Both

Soil temp

70-75°F

Hardening off

7-10 days

If you started plants indoors, harden them off first: set them outside for a little longer each day over about a week so they get used to sun and wind before you plant them out.

From seed to fruit

The growing journey

Stage 01 · Germination

Germination

Days 5-10 · current stage

The first little leaves push up through the soil in under a week.Seed leaves (cotyledons) emerge from warm soil within roughly 5 to 8 days.

Keep the soil warm and damp until the seedlings come up.Keep soil warm (near 70 °F) and evenly moist; do not let it crust or dry out during emergence.

FROM PLANT · Plant seeds outside only once the soil is warm, around 65 to 70 °F. Cold, wet soil makes seeds rot instead of sprout. In warm soil they come up in under a week.Direct-sow once soil is near 65 to 70 °F; warmth, not the calendar date, is the germination trigger, and seed sown into cold, wet soil rots or damps off. In warm soil, marigolds sprout in 5 to 8 days.

FROM PLANT · Plant the seeds about a quarter inch deep. In warm soil they sprout fast, so planting straight in the ground works well.Sow at about 1/4 in depth; marigolds germinate quickly and reliably in warm soil, which makes direct sowing the simplest method in long-season areas.

Seedling

Days 10-24

Real, ferny leaves appear and the little plant starts to settle in.First true, finely divided leaves develop; the plant is small and establishing roots.

Space plants out (small types 8 to 10 inches, tall types about a foot) and water the soil, not the leaves.Thin or space French and Signet to 8 to 10 in, African to 12 to 16 in; water at the base to keep foliage dry and watch for slugs.

FROM PLANT · Once seedlings have a few real leaves, space them out: small types about 8 to 10 inches apart, tall types about a foot. Room for air to move helps prevent mold.Thin or space seedlings by type once they have a few true leaves: French and Signet to 8 to 10 in, tall African to 12 to 16 in. Generous spacing for airflow is a primary cultural defense against gray mold and leaf spot.

FROM PLANT · Keep an eye on young marigolds for slugs and snails, which chew tender seedlings in damp weather. Hand-pick them at night or use a pet-safe iron-phosphate bait.Watch young marigolds for slugs and snails in damp weather; seedlings are a frequent target. Reduce mulch harborage, hand-pick at night, or use iron-phosphate bait, and water at the base.

Established / vegetative

Days 22-40

The plant gets bigger and bushier with more leaves.Plant grows bushier with several leaf sets and begins branching; tall African types gain height.

For tall types, pinch off the top once to make them branch out; small types do this on their own.Pinch tall African types once to force branching; French and Signet branch naturally and need no pinching. Maintain spacing and airflow.

FROM PLANT · If you are growing tall marigolds, pinch off the top once to make them bushier with more flowers. Small types do this by themselves. Go easy on fertilizer so you get flowers, not just leaves.Pinch the growing tip of tall African types once to force branching and more, sturdier stems; French and Signet types branch naturally and need no pinching. Keep nitrogen modest so plants flower rather than run to foliage.

FROM PLANT · As plants grow, keep air moving between them and water the soil, not the leaves. Full sun, space, and dry leaves are what keep mold away, especially in humid areas.Maintain airflow and water at the base as plants fill in; full sun, spacing, and dry foliage keep gray mold and leaf spot in check, sharpest where humidity is high.

Budding

Days 38-58

Flower buds start to form at the tops of the stems.Flower buds form at stem tips; stems lengthen toward bloom.

Keep the soil evenly moist and start checking for tiny mites and mold.Keep moisture even at bud point; begin scouting for spider mites and, in damp weather, gray mold.

FROM PLANT · Keep the soil evenly moist when the first flower buds appear, but not soggy. Too dry means smaller flowers; too wet rots the plant.Keep moisture even as the first buds form; drought stress at bud point reduces flower size and count, but never let the soil stay wet, which rots roots and buds.

FROM PLANT · As buds form, check for tiny spider mites in hot, dry weather and for gray mold on the buds in damp weather. Catching crowding and watering problems early keeps both down.Scout for spider mites in hot, dry spells (marigold's most characteristic pest) and for gray mold on dense buds in damp weather; addressing crowding and dryness early limits both.

Flowering

Days 50-70

Flowers open, about two months after planting, and keep coming until frost.Blooms open and continue; first bloom is roughly 7 to 9 weeks from sowing (French sooner, African later) and continues to first frost.

Snip off faded flowers (or cut some for a vase) to get more blooms.Deadhead spent blooms, or cut for the vase, to sustain bloom; water at the base and keep heads dry.

FROM PLANT · Snip off faded flowers back to the next set of leaves (or cut fresh ones for a vase) to get more blooms until the first fall frost. The small French types keep blooming on their own, but the big types flower more if you deadhead.Deadhead spent blooms back to the next leaf node, or cut for the vase, to redirect energy from seed set into new flowers and sustain bloom to first frost. French types rebloom well even without deadheading; African types benefit most from it.

FROM PLANT · If you want marigolds to fight soil nematodes, the method that works is to grow a thick patch of French marigolds in the problem bed for about two months, then dig them in, before planting vegetables there. Just scattering a few among your crops does not do it.For a documented nematode benefit, treat French marigolds as a cover crop, not a casual interplant: grow a dense, weed-free solid stand for about two months in the target bed, then incorporate it, ahead of the susceptible crop. Interplanting a few among vegetables has not been shown to reduce nematodes.

Seed saving (optional)

Days 72-105

A few flowers left on the plant dry out and form seeds.Selected heads left on the plant dry to brown and set viable seed.

Let a few flowers dry out fully on the plant before collecting their seeds.Leave chosen heads to dry fully before collecting seed; expect hybrids (most bedding series) not to come true.

FROM PLANT · To save seeds, leave a few flowers on the plant and let them dry and turn brown before picking them. Note that seeds from hybrid marigolds will not grow into the same flower next year.To save seed, leave some heads on the plant to dry fully to brown before collecting; most modern bedding marigolds are hybrids, so their seed will not come true to type.

Beginner

Know your soil

Your soil

Identify yours

Not sure what soil you have? Grab a small handful of damp soil from your garden bed and squeeze it. If it crumbles apart easily, it's sandy. If it holds together but breaks when you poke it, it's loam (what most vegetables want). If it stays in a hard, slippery ball, it's clay.

What this crop wants

Marigolds are not fussy and grow in most ordinary garden soil as long as water drains away and does not pool. Soil that is moderately fertile and well drained is ideal; very rich soil grows lots of leaves and fewer flowers. Avoid soggy ground, which rots the roots. If your soil is very acidic, the leaves can speckle bronze, so a normal garden range works best.

If your soil doesn't match

You have sandy soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of your bed before planting. Compost holds moisture (which sandy soil drains too fast) and adds the nutrients sandy soil tends to lack. Repeat each season. Compost breaks down over time.

You have clay soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost AND a few inches of coarse sand or perlite into the top 6 inches of your bed. The compost feeds the plants; the sand breaks up the clay so air and water can move through. Don't add sand without compost. It can compact like concrete.

Containers and raised beds

If amending your soil sounds like too much work, or if your soil is heavy clay, full of rocks, or contaminated, build over it. A raised bed at least 12 inches deep filled with a 50/50 mix of compost and sandy loam gives you ideal growing soil with no battles. A 5-gallon container with quality potting mix does the same for one plant at a time. Both bypass your native soil entirely.

Learn more about your soil

The specs

Care guide

The numbers that matter, at a glance.

Sunlight

full sun · 6-8 hrs/day

Water

moderate

Spacing

8-16 inches

Soil

loam, sandy loam

Days to maturity

50-70 days from transplant

Soil pH

6 to 7

Container OK?

Yes · 1+ gal pot

Germination temp

70-75°F

Soil chemistry

Soil pH for marigold

Preferred

6 to 7

Tolerated

5.5 to 7.5

Marigolds are not picky about soil pH (how acidic or alkaline the soil is). A normal garden range around 6.0 to 7.0 is ideal, and you usually do not need to change anything. Only very acidic soil, below about 5.5, can cause speckled, bronze-looking leaves.Marigolds perform best across roughly 6.0 to 7.0 and tolerate a little outside that. No pH adjustment is typically warranted, but strongly acidic soil (below about 5.5) can trigger manganese or iron toxicity that bronze-speckles the foliage, so favor a near-neutral bed.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much

Frequency

Keep the soil damp while seeds sprout and plants get going. After that, water deeply but less often. Grown marigolds handle dry spells well, so you do not need to water every day, and soggy soil does more harm than dryness.Keep soil evenly moist through germination and establishment, then water deeply but less often; established marigolds are notably drought-tolerant, and over-frequent shallow watering invites root rot and foliar disease.

Amount

Marigolds like about one inch of water a week, counting rain. Water deeply once or twice a week instead of a little every day, and let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. Once established, they handle dry spells well.Aim for roughly one inch of water per week from rain plus irrigation during active growth, applied deeply and less often rather than in frequent shallow doses; let the soil dry somewhat between waterings. Established and especially African and Signet plantings tolerate less.

Method

Water the ground around the plant, not the leaves. A soaker hose or watering can at the base works best. Tall marigolds especially can flop or rot if you spray water over the top, so keep the flowers dry; if leaves get wet, water in the morning so they dry by midday.Water at the base with drip or a soaker hose and avoid overhead wetting; on the tall African types in particular, overhead watering breaks stems and leaves the dense blooms wet, which invites gray mold. If you must use a sprinkler, water in the morning so foliage dries fast.

Signs of trouble

Too much water

If lower leaves turn yellow, the plant wilts even though the soil is wet, or the base looks soft and mushy, you are likely overwatering or the soil drains poorly. Wet flowers also turn moldy.Yellowing lower leaves, wilting despite wet soil, and soft, rotting stems or crowns signal overwatering or poor drainage; persistently wet, dense blooms also raise gray-mold pressure. Dwarf French types rot readily if kept saturated.

Too little water

Marigolds that are too dry wilt in the afternoon heat, look dull, and make smaller flowers. They are thirstiest right after planting and when the first buds form, but established plants bounce back from short dry spells.Wilting in the heat of the day that recovers by evening, dulling leaf color, and reduced flower size at bud point indicate underwatering, most critically during establishment and at first bloom; established plants are forgiving of short dry spells.

Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency

light

Type

Balanced or low-nitrogen

When to start

At planting, then sparingly

Marigolds do not need much feeding. Mix a little balanced fertilizer or compost into the soil before planting and that is usually plenty. Too much fertilizer, especially the high-nitrogen kind, gives you leaves instead of flowers, so go light.Marigolds are light feeders; a modest balanced dose worked into the soil at planting is usually all they need. Excess nitrogen pushes soft, leafy growth and suppresses bloom, so favor a balanced or slightly lower-nitrogen feed over a high-nitrogen one, and skip routine feeding once established.

N · P · K = 10-10-10

The three numbers on fertilizer (N-P-K) are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. For marigolds, pick a balanced one like 10-10-10 rather than a high first-number (nitrogen) lawn feed, which gives leaves instead of flowers.A balanced ratio such as 10-10-10 worked in at planting suits marigolds better than a high-nitrogen lawn-type feed, which favors foliage over flowers.

Flower care

Deadheading marigold

Flower form

single to fully double, daisy- to carnation- and pompon-form

Deadheading means snipping off flowers once they fade. Do it regularly: cut the old bloom back to the next set of leaves, and the plant makes more flowers instead of going to seed. Cutting fresh flowers for a vase does the same job. The small French and Signet marigolds keep blooming even if you skip it, but the big African types flower a lot more if you deadhead. Pinch the tops of tall types once when young to make them bushier.Deadhead spent blooms back to the next leaf node through the season to redirect energy from seed set into new flowers and sustain bloom to first frost; cutting for the vase serves the same function. French and Signet types rebloom well even with little deadheading, while the tall African doubles benefit most from it. Pinch tall African types once when young to force branching and more, sturdier stems.

Who grows well together

Companion planting

Marigolds are the classic companion plant, grown to help the rest of the garden more than for themselves. The one pest benefit that research actually supports is against root-knot nematodes (tiny soil worms that damage roots): if you grow a thick, solid patch of French marigolds in a problem bed for about two months and then dig them in, before planting a crop that nematodes attack, they can lower the nematode numbers. Just dotting a few marigolds among your vegetables has not been shown to do this. The old idea that their strong smell drives away insects, rabbits, and deer is traditional belief, sometimes helpful but not reliable. What marigolds clearly do is bring in bees and helpful insects, so they are a cheerful, useful edge or border plant almost anywhere. There is no plant you must keep them away from; just give them room and sun. Marigold inverts the usual companion framing: it is the plant you place to benefit others. Its one research-supported pest function is nematode suppression, and only in a specific form: French marigolds (Tagetes patula) grown as a dense, weed-free solid stand for about two months in the target bed and then incorporated, ahead of a susceptible crop, can reduce root-knot and lesion nematode populations via root-released alpha-terthienyl. UF/IFAS is explicit that simply interplanting a few marigolds among vegetables has not been shown to reduce nematodes, and the African types are less effective than French for this. The broader reputation, that marigold scent repels insects, rabbits, and deer, is traditional companion lore: sometimes borne out, not reliably documented. What is solid is that marigold is a strong pollinator and beneficial-insect draw, so it earns its place as an insectary edge or border. There is no biologically antagonistic companion to avoid; site for sun and airflow.

Other

Vegetable beds with a nematode problem (French marigold as a cover crop)

If a bed has root-knot nematodes, grow a thick patch of French marigolds there for about two months, then dig them in, before planting vegetables that nematodes attack. This is the marigold trick that research actually backs.This is marigold's evidence-based pest function. French marigolds planted as a dense, weed-free solid stand for about two months and then incorporated, ahead of the susceptible crop, reduce root-knot and lesion nematode populations through root-released alpha-terthienyl. It is a sequential, whole-bed treatment, not a concurrent interplant: keep the stand free of grass and weeds (so nematodes cannot feed on other roots) and follow with the vegetable crop the next season. African types are less effective than French. Research-backed

Tomatoes and peppers

Marigolds are traditionally planted with tomatoes and peppers, and they do draw in bees and helpful predator insects. The idea that their smell repels pests is folklore, so enjoy the flowers and beneficial bugs and do not count on them as bug spray.A traditional pairing whose real, defensible benefit is beneficial-insect habitat rather than pest repellence. Marigold nectar and pollen draw hoverflies, lacewings, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps whose larvae prey on aphids and other soft-bodied pests of tomatoes and peppers. Note the honest limits: the popular claims that marigold scent repels pests, and that interplanting a few marigolds controls the nematodes that bother tomatoes, are not supported by extension trials. Plant them as an insectary edge for predator support and color, not as a substitute for pest control. Traditional

Cucurbits (squash, melon, cucumber)

Squash, melons, and cucumbers need insects to move pollen to set fruit. Marigolds bloom a long time and bring in the bees that do that job.A well-grounded pollinator pairing. Cucurbits depend on insect pollination, with several bee visits needed per flower for proper fruit set, and marigold is a reliable, long-blooming pollinator magnet across the cucurbit fruiting window. More pollinator traffic plausibly means better set and fewer aborted fruits. Plant marigolds in nearby rows so the pollinators they draw spill onto the crop; this is a visitation benefit, not a pest-control one. Well-grounded

Brassicas and beans

Marigolds add color and bring in helpful bugs alongside cabbage-family crops and beans without crowding them for food. Traditionally they are also planted to deter pests, though that part is folklore.A habitat-level pairing. Marigold adds beneficial-insect and pollinator habitat alongside cabbage-family crops and beans with low nutrient competition, and the flowers support parasitic wasps and predators that help manage aphids and caterpillars. The traditional claim that marigold scent deters cabbage pests and bean beetles is not extension-verified; treat it as a loose, garden-ecosystem pairing, kept to the edges so it does not shade lower crops. Traditional

Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key

Cutting for the vase

When to cut

Marigolds are mostly for garden color and helping the garden, but you can cut them for a vase when the flowers are fully open and the stem feels firm. Cut in the morning and put them straight into clean water, pulling off the smelly lower leaves first. Snip off faded flowers through the season to keep more coming.Marigold is grown for garden display, companion value, and cutting; cut blooms for the vase when flowers are fully open and the stem is firm just below the head, in the cool of the morning into clean water. Strip the strongly scented lower leaves below the waterline. Deadhead spent blooms throughout the season to sustain flowering to frost.

Bloom yield

What to expect

One marigold gives you lots of flowers over the summer. The small French and Signet types make many small blooms at once, while the tall African types make fewer but big, showy flowers good for cutting. Keep picking faded flowers and they keep coming until frost.A single marigold blooms profusely over a season; French and Signet types carry dozens of small to medium flowers continuously, while the tall African types produce fewer but much larger pompon blooms well suited to cutting. Deadheading or cutting sustains production to frost.

Marigolds flower the same year you plant them, usually about two months after sowing. There is no waiting year. Plant in spring and you will have flowers from summer until the first frost.Marigolds bloom the first season from seed, roughly 7 to 9 weeks after sowing (French sooner, African later), so there is no establishment year; a spring sowing flowers from early summer to first frost.

What changes yield

Type: French and Signet types yield many small flowers for color and edging; tall African types yield fewer, larger blooms for cutting.Deadheading and cutting cadence: regular deadheading or cutting sustains bloom; neglected African plants set seed and slow, though French types rebloom well on their own.Pinching: pinching tall African types produces more, sturdier flowering stems.Spacing and airflow: adequate spacing sustains healthy foliage and longer productive life by limiting gray mold and leaf spot.Season length: a longer frost-free season and successive sowings extend total bloom into fall.

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Pick your variety

Recommended varieties

Pick the type for your spot. French marigolds are small, bushy, and bloom for a long time, perfect for beds, pots, and edging, and they are the type that suppresses soil nematodes when planted thickly. African marigolds are the tall ones with big round pompon flowers, good at the back of a bed and for cutting. Signet marigolds are tiny, lacy plants covered in small flowers, very tough in heat and drought, with petals you can eat. Open, single flowers are best for bees and butterflies.Choose by type and purpose. French marigolds (Tagetes patula) are the compact, bushy, long-blooming bedding and edging workhorses and the type to use for root-knot nematode cover plantings (cultivars such as 'Single Gold' and 'Tangerine' are the trialed performers). African or American marigolds (Tagetes erecta) are the tall, large-pompon types for the back of the border and for cutting; they benefit most from deadheading and staking. Signet marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia) are the petite, lacy, heat- and drought-tough edgers, smothered in small single flowers whose petals are edible. Single, open-faced flowers serve pollinators better than the densest doubles.

Bonanza / Durango

French, Tagetes patula; compact double bedding types, early and uniform

Janie series

French, dwarf, very early, container and edging

Single Gold / 'Nema-Gold'

French, single-flowered; the cultivar trialed for root-knot nematode suppression

Queen Sophia / Sophia series

French, large crested double blooms, bicolor

Crackerjack / Inca II

African, Tagetes erecta; tall, large pompon cut-flower blooms

Antigua series

African, compact large-flowered, uniform bedding

Lemon Gem / Tangerine Gem

Signet, Tagetes tenuifolia; lacy foliage, masses of small edible single flowers

In the vase

Vase life

Marigolds are flowers for the garden and the vase, not food to store, so there is nothing to refrigerate or freeze. To make cut flowers last, trim the stems, pull off the smelly lower leaves that would sit underwater, and use a clean vase with fresh water. They usually stay nice for several days to a week. The small Signet marigolds have edible petals with a spicy, tarragon-like flavor, used fresh.Marigold is grown for bloom and companion value, not as a stored edible, so the refrigerate and freeze fields do not apply. For cut flowers, recut stems and strip the strongly scented lower leaves below the waterline (they foul vase water fast), use clean water with floral preservative, and keep blooms out of direct sun. Vase life is several days to about a week. The Signet types have edible, spicy-tarragon petals used fresh as a garnish.

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When something goes wrong

Common problems

Flowers turned mushy with gray fuzzFlowers and buds rotting with gray fuzz (gray mold)

01 of 06

What happened A mold called gray mold (Botrytis) rotted the flowers, usually because the air was humid, plants were crowded, or the blooms stayed wet.Botrytis gray mold took hold, favored by humidity, crowding, and overhead wetness; the dense double African blooms rot from the center. Next season Give plants more room next time, water the soil instead of the flowers, plant in full sun, and pick off faded blooms before they rot.Space plants for airflow, water at the base, site in full sun, and remove spent or rotted heads promptly; favor single-flowered or French types in humid sites.

Plants grew tall and leafy with few flowersTall, leafy plants with few blooms

02 of 06

What happened The plants got too much high-nitrogen feed or too much shade, so they grew leafy instead of flowery.Too much nitrogen or too much shade drove leafy growth at the expense of bloom; unpinched tall types also grow tall and sparse. Next season Next time, go easy on fertilizer, plant in full sun, and pinch the tops of tall types to make them bushy.Keep nitrogen modest, grow in full sun, and pinch tall African types once to force branching.

Young plants fell over, or the base rottedSeedlings collapsed or plants rotted at the base

03 of 06

What happened A rot at the base, from cold or soggy soil, killed the plants. Overwatering is the usual cause.Damping-off and root or stem rot struck plants in cold, wet soil or kept too wet; dwarf French types are especially prone in saturated soil. Next season Wait until the soil is warm before planting, make sure it drains well, and do not keep it soggy.Wait for warm soil (about 65 to 70 °F) before sowing, ensure good drainage, and water less, letting the soil dry between waterings.

Frost killed or damaged the plantsPlants blackened by frost

04 of 06

What happened Marigolds cannot handle frost. A late spring frost or the first fall frost will damage or kill them.Marigold is frost-tender; frost at either end of the season, planting out too early in spring or the first frost in fall, kills or damages plants. Next season Plant only after your last frost in spring, and know that the first frost in fall ends the marigold season.Direct-sow or transplant only after all frost danger has passed, and expect plants to end with the first fall frost.

Leaves looked speckled and dusty with fine websSpeckled, dusty-looking leaves with fine webbing (spider mites)

05 of 06

What happened Tiny spider mites, which love hot and dry weather, speckled the leaves and spun fine webs. Marigolds get them easily in midsummer.Spider mites built up in hot, dry, dusty conditions, marigold's most characteristic pest, stippling leaves and webbing the foliage in midsummer. Next season Keep plants watered and spray the leaves with water to knock mites off. For bad cases, use insecticidal soap.Keep plants watered, raise humidity around foliage with base watering, and dislodge mites with water sprays; use insecticidal soap or a miticide for heavy infestations.

Few or no seeds sproutedSeeds failed to come up

06 of 06

What happened Cold soil is usually why marigold seeds do not sprout well. Planted too early in cool soil, they come up poorly or rot.Cold soil is the usual cause; seed sown before soil reaches about 65 to 70 °F germinates slowly, erratically, or rots. Next season Wait for warm soil, plant a quarter inch deep, and keep it damp until they sprout.Wait for warm soil (about 65 to 70 °F), sow at 1/4 in, and keep evenly moist during emergence.

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The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests

Spider mites

P · 01

Aphids

P · 02

Slugs and snails

P · 03

Japanese beetles

P · 04

Diseases

Botrytis blight (gray mold)

D · 01

Leaf spots and powdery mildew

D · 02

Root, stem, and crown rot (damping-off)

D · 03

Aster yellows

D · 04

Seasoned

Where to plant next year

Crop rotation

Rotating marigolds is not as important as it is for vegetables, but it still helps. Plant them in a different spot each year if you can, and clean up old, diseased leaves at the end of the season. Used on purpose, a thick patch of French marigolds grown for a couple of months and then dug in is a real way to cut down soil nematodes before you plant vegetables there.Rotation matters less for a fast-growing ornamental annual than for heavy-feeding vegetables, but moving marigolds to a fresh bed each year and clearing infected debris at season end limits carryover of gray-mold and leaf-spot inoculum. Used deliberately, a two-month French marigold cover stand turned under is a documented preceding-crop treatment for root-knot nematodes.

Family

Asteraceae

Years between

1 years

in the same bed

Avoid following

Marigolds are in the daisy family (Asteraceae). If they had a lot of disease, do not plant them, or other daisy-family flowers, in the same spot the very next season. On the flip side, a thick planting of French marigolds is actually a good thing to grow before nematode-prone vegetables, because it lowers the nematodes in that soil.As an aster-family (Asteraceae) annual, avoid following marigold immediately with other susceptible asters where soilborne or foliar disease has built up; rotate the bed to an unrelated family for a season if gray mold or leaf spot was heavy. Note the inverse: a French marigold stand is itself a beneficial rotation tool, lowering root-knot nematode pressure for the crop that follows.

Plant after

legumesleafy greens

Verified · 2 sources View

In the app · pre-launch

When plant taps you on the shoulder

The plant app sends a timely reminder at every critical moment of your marigold season. The wording adjusts to whichever you pick: beginner or seasoned. Here are three you'll see in Zone 5.

plant

Last frost arrives

Time to plant marigolds

Your last frost has passed, so you can plant marigold seeds or transplants outside once the soil feels warm, about a quarter inch deep for seeds.

plant

Established arrives

Pinch tall marigolds (optional)

If you are growing the tall type of marigold, pinch off the top once now so it grows bushier. The small types do not need this.

plant

Flowering arrives

Time to deadhead and cut

Your first flowers are opening. Snip off faded ones (or cut some for a vase) to keep more blooms coming all season.

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Seasoned

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If you've grown this crop and you see a date, a temperature, a companion claim, or a recommendation that doesn't match your experience, tell us. Real growers' corrections make this guide better for the next person.

How we built this guide

Methodology & sources

Every date, temperature, spacing, and recommendation on this page is sourced from university cooperative extension publications, peer-reviewed agricultural research, NOAA climate data, and direct extension calendars. Where claims are softer (traditional gardening wisdom not formally documented), we say so.

Research-backed Documented in cooperative extension publications or peer-reviewed research

Well-grounded A known agronomic principle, but not formally tested for this specific pair

Traditional Time-tested gardening wisdom, limited formal research support

Last reviewed

June 29, 2026

Data version

crops_data_final · v1.0 · schema 2.9

Sources cited on this page

16 publications

Verified entries

Companion-planting claims tagged inline · zone dates verified against 5+ extensions

See all sources cited on this page

University of Minnesota Extension umn_ext
University of Maryland Extension umd_ext
Cornell Cooperative Extension cornell_ext
Iowa State University Extension iastate_ext
Michigan State University Extension msu_ext
NC State Extension ncsu_ext
Penn State Extension psu_ext
U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension uiuc_ext
UC Davis Postharvest Center ucd_postharvest
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension tamu_agrilife
Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-331 vce_426_331
Piedmont Master Gardeners piedmont_mg
UGA Vegetable Garden Calendar uga_calendar
Clemson Home & Garden Information Center clemson_hgic
UC IPM Statewide IPM Program uc_ipm
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals noaa_normals

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