Marigolds

Marigolds are a powerhouse in the vegetable garden, and serve to help protect you vegetable plants and improve soil. Find out the benefits of planting marigolds in your vegetable garden.Marigolds are beautiful, bright orange annual flowers that grow quickly and easily. These cheerful blooms should be considered an add on to your vegetable garden. They are easy to grow in containers and directly sown into the garden.Gardens can’t produce without pollination. Bright flowers are natural attractors for pollinators. Orange and yellow are incredibly inviting colors that will attract bees, butterflies and other helpful bugs. Plant marigolds in containers right next to your vegetables. That way, it doesn’t matter if the soil content needs to be the same, the pollinators will visit your marigolds, and most likely visit your veggies as well!

Both African Marigolds (T. Erecta) and French Marigolds (T. Patula) produce alpha-terthienyl. This substance repels nematodes – which are tiny worms that attack the roots of plants. These flowers also produce a strong scent which helps repel cabbageworms. This helps protect cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts. Be sure to plant a lot though, as it takes many companion plants to protect the stubborn cabbage worms. 

There are two ways to add Marigolds to your garden. The first is to plant them right next to your vegetables in the soil. This is great if the soil type needed for your vegetables matches the soil type needed for these flowers.

Marigolds thrive in fertile, well-drained, non-acidic soil. This works well with tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers. In which case, you can plant the flowers right next to, or in the same bed as the vegetables.

If you’re using the flowers to attract pollinators and the soil of some of your plants is acidic, marigolds thrive in containers as well. Just add a pot of these lovely flowers alongside your garden bed.