Growing your own marigold flowers can be a fun spring activity. Marigolds are a beautiful orange, yellow or gold colored flower. Marigold flowers are easy to grow and easy to care for. Marigolds come in different sizes being small six inch plants to over two feet tall. Marigolds are sturdy flowers that make beautiful gardens alone or mixed with other flowers. Small marigolds are good to use for a border in a garden.
Marigolds are known to repel bugs so it is a good idea to plant Marigolds in places that you want to keep bugs away. In between tomato plants is a good place to plant marigolds or near doorways to help keep bugs away from doors. Marigolds have an offensive odor to bugs and so bugs usually steer clear of marigolds.
It is very easy to grow marigolds. If you live in a colder climate it is a good idea to start your marigolds early before frost has left the ground. But you have to start marigolds indoors in cold climates. To get started growing marigolds indoors you will need marigold seeds, small pots to start the seeds in and some starter soil to put in the pots. A flat that does not leak water will be a good place to put the pots in so when you water them the water will not leak out all over. You will also need a sunny window or a sun lamp. You can buy these things from a hardware store or garden center or shop.
You should start your marigold seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before the frost is estimated to be out of the ground in your area. You can plant the marigold plants outdoors after the last frost. Frost will kill marigolds.
To begin take the pots and put the starter soil in them so that only a half inch is left up at the top of the pot. Then carefully take your marigold seeds and place them on the top of the soil in the pots. Marigold seeds are long and light like a tiny blade of dried grass so when you handle marigold seeds be careful that you do it in a place that is not breezy. Marigold seeds are very light and can blow away easily. Even your own breath can blow them away.
After you have places the marigold seeds on the soil pat the top of the soil with the seed in it lightly so the seeds get covered with soil slightly. Then water the seeds carefully so the seeds don’t wash away. A very light sprinkling can works well to water marigold seeds.
Keep the seeds watered so the soil never dries out and you should soon have little plants growing in your pots. It is important to keep the plants in the sun after they have sprouted. A good window with sun shining through it will work well or a sun lamp that is on for about half the day is good.
When the danger of frost has pasted in your area then you can take these marigolds and plant them outside. You can put them in larger pots and keep them outside or you can put the marigolds in a garden plot. Space the marigolds apart so they have plenty of room to grow. It depends how big your marigolds are as to how far apart you plant them.
Your marigolds will start to bloom soon after you plant them outside. When the blooms die you should pinch off the dead blooms and then the plant will produce more blooms. Marigolds like to bloom all summer long. Marigolds will be beautiful with blooms until the first frost in the fall.
