Marigolds featured heavily in all the vegetable gardens I worked in as a professional kitchen gardener, as they are not only beautiful but super useful plants, too
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Marigolds deserve a place in any vegetable garden. They are ideal to grow with vegetables for multiple reasons. Not only do marigolds look great, but they are also edible and fantastic additions as a companion plants in any vegetable garden.
I have always grown marigolds in my vegetable gardens. They featured in all the kitchen gardens I worked in and I also grow them in my home vegetable plots.
The best types for a vegetable garden are French marigolds (Tagetes patula) and the signet, or gem, types. They are smaller-growing marigolds, compared to the large and statuesque African marigolds, and can be utilized in many ways around your crops.
Plant marigolds in a sunny spot in the vegetable garden( credit: sheryl caston / Alamy Stock Photo)
Marigolds are one of the most versatile and beneficial flowers you can add to your vegetable garden. With their bright colors and ability to thrive in poor soil marigolds are too useful to not find a spot for in your garden layout. In this article I’ll explain exactly where and how to strategically plant marigolds among your vegetables to get the most out of these pretty pest deterrents.
Why Add Marigolds to Your Veggie Garden?
Before jumping into the ideal placement for marigolds. let’s recap why you should make room for them in the first place
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Pest control – Marigolds deter a wide range of common vegetable pests like tomato hornworms, cabbage moths, aphids, whiteflies, beetles, nematodes, and even mosquitos!
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Companion planting – Marigolds have synergistic relationships with tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, melons, squash, and more The flowers mask the scent of the crops to hide them from pests
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Pollinator magnets – Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects are highly attracted to marigolds. More pollinators = better pollination and crop yields!
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Fill gaps – Marigolds grow rapidly from seed, making them perfect fillers for any open spaces or holes in garden beds. Maximizes growing space.
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Edible/medicinal uses – Marigold petals can be used topically for skin healing or brewed into tea. The flowers are also edible with a mild citrus-peppery flavor.
With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why marigolds deserve a spot front and center in your vegetable garden!
Ideal Marigold Placement for Pest Protection
Strategically planting marigolds around and within your veggie beds makes them most effective as a pest deterrent. Some prime locations include:
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Border rows – Encircle garden beds with marigolds to create a protective border that keeps pests from entering the garden from all sides. Leave 1-2 feet between marigolds and crops.
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In-bed rows – Interplant rows of marigolds in the same beds as your vegetables. The flowers disguise the scent of the crops while attracting beneficial insects that prey on pests.
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Along trellises – Add marigolds at the base of trellised crops like tomatoes or cucumbers. This blocks access from soil-dwelling pests.
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Around perimeters – Plant marigolds completely surrounding the vegetable garden to deter pests from all angles before they can reach crops.
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Near entrances – Border entry points to the garden with marigolds as a first line of defense. Pests encounter the flowers first upon entering.
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Among companions – Scatter marigolds liberally throughout beds with compatible companion plants like tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, etc.
Companion Planting Locations
In addition to pest control placement, be sure to partner marigolds with specific vegetable companions to maximize mutual benefits:
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With tomatoes – Deters tomato hornworms, nematodes; masks tomato scent.
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With peppers – Repels aphids; peppers and marigolds enhance each other’s growth and yields.
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With beans – Bean beetles dislike marigolds; deters nematodes.
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With cucumbers & melons – Repels aphids and squash bugs.
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With squash – Deters squash bugs and beetles; masks scent from pests.
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With brassicas – Plant near, but not touching, to confuse cabbage moths.
Other Prime Marigold Locations
Aside from pest control, also consider planting marigolds in these areas for aesthetic appeal:
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Garden borders & edges – Use marigolds as ornamental borders around the perimeter of your garden for visual interest.
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Entryways & paths – Line garden entry points and paths with cheerful marigolds to welcome visitors.
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Container pairings – Partner marigolds with edibles like tomatoes or herbs in pots and planters.
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Blank space fillers – Quickly fill any empty spots or gaps between slow-growing vegetables. Keeps garden looking full.
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Cutting garden – Devote a small bed or row solely for cutting marigolds to bring indoors in bouquets.
How to Plant Marigolds
Marigolds are extremely easy to grow! Here are a few quick tips:
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Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost or direct sow after danger of frost.
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Space 9-12 inches apart. Plant in full sun.
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Prefers poor, well-drained soil. Avoid fertilizing.
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Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowers.
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Most varieties take 60-90 days from seed to full bloom.
And that covers the ideal placement and practices for successfully incorporating marigolds into your vegetable garden! Take advantage of all these pretty flowers have to offer by tucking them into pest-prone areas as well as spots that need a pop of color. With the right marigold planting strategy, you’ll reap their many perks in no time.
Shop marigolds Marigold, Nema-Gone
A beautiful marigold thats also a great organic pest control. Nema-Gone is proven in trials to be effective in killing nematodes in the soil, and its beautiful and fast-growing too. Marigold, Triple Treat
A triple-treat variety produces of colorful blast of three juicy colors, in shades of yellow, orange, and red. Hardy, easy-growing 8-10” plants carry on the colorful show all summer. Marigold, Strawberry Blonde
A french marigold with floriferous rush of bicolor pastel pink, rose and yellow blooms. The 8-10″ plants infuse the border or container with a long season of colorful cool warmth.
Plant them around the edges of beds
Plant marigolds with Swiss chard in a vegetable garden ( credit: Getty s/
Marigolds will look fabulous planted as bright and colorful borders around your vegetable beds or raised garden beds.
The vivid blooms in shades of yellow, orange, and red are great flowers to attract bees and other pollinators into your vegetable garden. They also flower for a long period – especially if you deadhead marigolds to keep them blooming – and will bring those beneficial insects into your garden throughout the season. Having more bees and pollinators means your vegetable plants will stand a higher chance of being pollinated and you will be rewarded with higher yields.
As well as insects pollinating your plants, attracting those beneficial insects with marigolds can also be a fantastic form of natural pest control. It can help get rid of aphids and other pests that may trouble your vegetable plants as the insects drawn to the marigold blooms will eat those unwanted visitors to your garden.
How to Plant Marigolds in Vegetable Gardens : The Chef’s Garden
FAQ
Should you plant marigolds in your vegetable garden?
Something so beautiful, so spicy and easy to grow turns out to be the all-purpose helper in the garden: the marigold. Marigolds repel disease and insect pests, attract pollinators, and add a cheerful boarder around the vegetable patch and flower beds. Almost every vegetable benefits from having marigolds as neighbors.
Where is the best place to plant marigolds in the garden?
Marigolds grow best in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. They thrive in well-drained, moderately fertile soil, but they are also highly adaptable to poor soils.
What vegetables don’t like marigolds?
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Cabbage and Broccoli:Some sources suggest that cabbage and broccoli (both brassicas) might not thrive when planted near marigolds, though the reasons for this are not always clearly stated.
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Other Vegetables that Marigolds Benefit:Marigolds are known to repel pests like root-knot nematodes, aphids, squash bugs, and cucumber beetles, making them beneficial for plants like potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and squash.
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Marigold Benefits:Marigolds release chemicals into the soil that can deter harmful nematodes, and they can also help reduce the presence of other pests.
How close should I plant marigolds to tomatoes?
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Benefits of Companion Planting:Marigolds can help deter some pests that might otherwise target tomato plants.
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Spacing for Protection:Plant marigolds around the perimeter of your tomato plants, creating a “buffer zone”.
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Marigold Spacing:Space marigolds 10-12 inches apart from each other and from the tomato plants.
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Alternative Placement:You can also plant marigolds in pots and position them near your tomato plants.
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Other Considerations:Marigolds also attract beneficial insects like pollinators and ladybugs, which can help control other pests.
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Marigold Varieties:Consider using smaller marigold varieties for edging or borders, while larger varieties can be planted slightly farther away.