• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

sloely

enjoying life slowed down

  • clutter free
  • simply frugal
  • natural remedies
  • grow your own
  • non toxic living
  • Simple Parenting

Growing Marigolds To Control Pests Organically

March 10, 2021 by Alice 1 Comment

Growing Marigolds To Control Pests Organically
How To Grow Marigolds As Organic Pest Control
Growing Marigolds As Organic Pest Control

Growing marigolds to control pests is a must if you want to start gardening organically or if you just want some incredibly pretty flowers that keep all sort of pests from eating your vegetables.

Marigolds have been grown as natural pest control in vegetable gardens for centuries and they really are a pest control power house. They are even a natural mosquito repellent.

So even if you’re a new gardener and don’t want to get into complicated companion planting you do want to grow marigolds.

And in this post I will take you through everything you need to know about growing marigolds to control pests organically without toxic pesticides. I’ll start with the benefits of marigolds for organic pest control and then go through how to grow marigolds successfully.

Table of Contents

  • How Marigolds Control Pests Organically
    • Using Marigolds To Repel Pests
    • Marigolds As Camouflage
    • Marigolds As A Trap Crop
    • Attracting Pest Predators With Marigolds
    • Using Marigolds To Kill Nematodes
    • Attracting Pollinators With Marigolds
  • Different Marigold Varieties
  • Growing Marigolds From Seed
    • When To Plant Marigolds
    • Best Conditions To Grow Marigolds In
    • How To Sow Marigold Seeds
    • When To Transplant Marigolds
  • How To Grow Marigolds In Pots
  • Where To Plant Marigolds In Your Vegetable Garden
    • Do Marigolds Always Need Full Sun?
  • What Marigolds Should Not Be Planted Near
  • How To Keep Marigolds Flowering
  • Do Marigolds Come Back Every Year?

How Marigolds Control Pests Organically

Marigolds – along with garlic and chives – are one of the most useful companion plants in your vegetable garden as they can control all sorts of pest organically in all sorts of different ways.

We can use marigolds to:

  • Repel vegetable eating insects
  • Camouflage vegetables from pests
  • Keep pests off prize vegetables as a trap crop
  • Attract pest predators
  • Kill disease spreading nematodes.

We can also use pretty marigolds to attract pollinators all summer long.

Using Marigolds To Repel Pests

The fragrance of marigolds naturally repels key pests including white fly, butterflies and moths whose caterpillars devour cabbages and collard greens and some beetles.

Marigolds As Camouflage

Marigolds – like garlic and chives – can be used as camouflage to hide vegetables such as carrots from key pests. The strong fragrance of the marigolds prevents the dreaded carrot fly from picking up the gentler smell of the carrots.

Marigolds As A Trap Crop

Marigolds can also be used as a sacrificial trap crop for slugs and snails who will eat the marigolds rather than your vegetables. As you can cram marigolds in a bit you can easily afford to lose a few.

Attracting Pest Predators With Marigolds

Attracting natural pest predators – such as ladybirds, lacewings & hover flies – into the garden is essential for successful organic gardening.

The bright orange flowers of the marigolds are great for attracting these predators who will control pests organically by eating all sorts of aphids and mites.

Using Marigolds To Kill Nematodes

Nematodes are a worm like bug that can cause disease in a range of vegetables including tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, peppers & potatoes.

Now not all nematodes are bad news for us gardeners. Some nematodes can actually be used for organic pest control themselves.

But we can use marigolds to control nematodes causing problems organically as marigolds secrete a chemical into the soil which is toxic for nematodes. Although, they only do this 12 weeks or so after planting so will not give immediate protection to early spring vegetables.

Attracting Pollinators With Marigolds

Flowering and fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes, peas and zucchini all need plenty of pollinators in our gardens.

But sadly too many pesticides have actually reduced the numbers of bees, butterflies, ladybugs, lacewings and hover flies buzzing around in our backyards.

Planting marigolds that will keep flowering all summer long throughout our garden is a great way to attract all these pollinators back again.

Now we’ve seen all the amazing benefits of growing marigolds for organic pest control let’s move on to how to grow marigolds.

Growing Marigolds To Control Pests Organically

Different Marigold Varieties

The first thing we need to know about growing marigolds is that there are different varieties.

  • French marigolds (Tagetes patula)
  • African or American marigolds (Tagetes erecta)
  • And pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis) which aren’t actually marigolds at all!!
Marigold Varieties For Organic Pest Control

Now the marigolds we are interested in as companion plants for organic pest are the French marigolds as they are the ones that have all of those amazing organic pest control benefits.

The other marigolds are lovely but won’t do the trick.

Growing Marigolds From Seed

Marigolds can be grown easily from their rather wonderful seed.

Ideal growing conditions for different varieties of French marigold seed do vary, so you do need to check seed packet details before buying and sowing.

When To Plant Marigolds

French marigolds are annuals and don’t like the frost so you can’t sow marigold seeds outside until after your last frost date.

Marigold seeds will also germinate and grow better in warmer temperatures around 65 degrees fahrenheit / 18 degrees centigrade so in climates such as the UK where it doesn’t warm up very quickly after the last frost date you may need to wait into May to sow seeds outdoors.

That’s all a bit late for pest control duties in the vegetable garden!!

So if you are growing marigolds as organic pest control you really want to start them off indoors or under cover. Start sowing marigold seeds indoors 6 weeks or so before you will typically hit average temperatures of 18 degrees.

Best Conditions To Grow Marigolds In

Marigolds aren’t particularly fussy about soil conditions and will grow happily in typical potting compost and reasonably well drained soil.

How To Sow Marigold Seeds

Sow marigold seeds about 1cm / half an inch deep and about 2 or 3 cm / 1 inch apart. Seedlings can be thinned later.

When To Transplant Marigolds

If you’ve got the space indoors or in a little green house hold off transplanting your marigold seedlings until the weather has warmed up and dried out a bit.

In the UK this is typically May but play it by ear and if the weather warms up earlier get them outside in the sunshine because they love it.

It is easier to be flexible with your marigolds if you grow them in pots.

How To Grow Marigolds In Pots

I am a big fan of growing companion plants such as marigolds, garlic and chives in pots so you can easily move them around to do pest control duty in different parts of the vegetable garden as needed.

French marigolds only grow to 20cm or so so they can be grown individually in small 15cm / 6 inch pots which you can spread around near different vegetables.

But marigolds do also look wonderful in a big pot if you’re growing vegetables in containers on a patio. You can fill a 45 cm / 18 inch pot with 5 or so French marigold plants.

Where To Plant Marigolds In Your Vegetable Garden

To get the full benefit of their organic pest control powers you need to plant marigolds in a range of places in your vegetable garden.

  • Planting marigolds around the perimeter of your vegetables can help repel pests generally and act as a trap crop for slugs and snails who will hit the marigolds first and not bother with anything else.
  • To camouflage your carrots you really need to interplant marigolds so the marigold fragrance fully hides the carrots from the carrot fly.
  • Marigolds do need to be planted in the same soil – i.e. not in nearby pots – as as tomatoes and lettuces for these plants to benefit from the marigold’s organic nematode killing abilities.

But when planting marigolds in the vegetable garden we do also need to think about the marigolds need for full sun.

Do Marigolds Always Need Full Sun?

In general French marigolds will thrive better in full sun not least because they don’t like soggy roots. Now obviously that is a problem for some of our vegetables who prefer some shade as the summer heats up.

But by growing at least some of our marigolds in pots we can get round this paradox. When your marigolds first go out around May put them in the sunniest spot you’ve got to get them flourishing.

And then move the pots or transplant some of the plants later in June to support vegetables who want more shade.

What Marigolds Should Not Be Planted Near

Most helpful companion plants have some vegetables they just don’t get on with. Don’t plant garlic and chives near peas for example.

But as far as I am aware you can grow marigolds with everything without ill effect. They really are that useful.

How To Keep Marigolds Flowering

If you deadhead your marigold flowers as soon as they start to fade, you can keep your marigolds flowering and doing their work attracting pollinators and pest predators all summer long.

Do Marigolds Come Back Every Year?

French marigolds are annuals so they do not come back every year and you will need to sow them again. But if at the end of the summer you let the flowers go to seed rather than deadheading them you can collect the seeds to plant next year.

And there you go, everything you need to know about growing marigolds to control pests organically. They really are one of the most hard working companion plants we can find and their great splash of gold and orange is a joy to see in the vegetable garden. So do give them a go this year.

For more simple organic gardening advice check out these posts:

  • Organic gardening tips for beginners
  • Organic weed control
  • Cat repellent plants & herbs
  • Get rid of slugs & snails naturally

Original image source: main image

Filed Under: Grow Your Own Food, Organic Gardening, Simple Herbs To Grow At Home Tagged With: companion planting, growing flowers, growing herbs, herb garden

Previous Post: « Home Remedies For Sore Throats
Next Post: How To Grow Oregano Easily From Cutting & Seeds »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Natural Mosquito Repellents For The Garden & Camping says:
    May 18, 2022 at 9:07 am

    […] Marigolds – all round great natural pest control. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar



PRIVACY - DISCLOSURE - ADVERTISE - COPYRIGHT

Footer

Clutter free …

Gentle Declutter Method - Just 10 Things
Declutter List Of Things To Declutter Right Now

Grow your own …

Spring Vegetable Planting List
Natural Mosquito Repellents For Garden And Camping
How To Grow Raspberries In A Small Garden
Growing Rosemary From Cuttings In Water

Natural remedies …

Home Remedies For Bites And Stings
Frizzy Hair Home Remedies
Magnesium Rich Foods To Raise Magnesium Levels Quickly
Gentle Blackhead Removal Treatments
PRIVACY - DISCLOSURE - ADVERTISE - COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT