French marigolds or Tagetes are superb plants grown as annuals appreciated for their vivid, warm yellow or orange flowering. These are fail-safe plants, very easy to cultivate and to sow! Undemanding, they thrive in full sun, in ordinary soil, even poor and dry, and show resistance to bad weather and heat. They are highly useful in vegetable garden, notably alongside tomatoes or carrots, as they repel destructive insects. Discover our tips to sow French marigolds: what equipment to use, when and how to sow seeds? This will allow you to obtain many young plants easily and at low cost!
And for full information on French marigolds, discover our complete fact sheet: ‘French marigold, Tagetes: Sowing, planting, care’
1 - How to harvest French marigold seeds?
As soon as you see faded flowers on French marigolds, harvest them by cutting flower stem at base. Flower receptacles must be dry to remove seeds: if not, dry flowers for a few days by spreading them on sheet of paper. Then extract seeds from receptacles, then sort to remove petals and damaged seeds. Store seeds in envelopes or kraft paper bags until sowing. Remember to note plant name and harvest date on bag.
Discover also our French marigold seeds
2 - Equipment needed for successful sowing
- Sowing compost, or mix of 2/3 compost and 1/3 sand
- Pots or seed tray
- Watering can with rose or spray bottle
- Sieve (facultative)
3 - When to sow French marigolds?
It is possible to sow French marigolds under cover from February to April, or directly in open ground in May, as soon as there is no longer risk of frost. Sowing under cover saves time and produces more developed plants more quickly.
4 - How to sow French marigolds?
Under cover:
- Prepare pots or seed tray by filling with sowing compost
- Firm gently
- Distribute seeds over surface of substrate
- Cover with thin layer of sieved compost
- Water with fine spray using rose or spray bottle
- Place pots under cover, in bright spot but out of direct sun, ideally at temperature of 18 to 20 °C
- Ensure substrate remains slightly moist until germination
- As soon as seedlings have 2 or 3 true leaves (usually after 4 to 6 weeks), pot up into individual pots
- In May, once frost risk has passed, plant out in ground or in trough, spacing 20 to 40 cm between each young plant, then water generously
Outdoors in open ground:
If sowing French marigolds directly in ground, choose a sunny site. Do not hesitate to place them in vegetable garden, between vegetable ranks: they will keep company with tomatoes and carrots by repelling parasitic insects.
- Begin by preparing soil: weed chosen surface, remove large stones and break clods to obtain fine seedbed
- Sow broadcasting or in rows, trying to distribute seeds evenly
- Cover with thin layer of compost
- Water
- Wait for seeds to germinate, watering occasionally to aid germination
- One month later, thin out ranks by removing some plants to keep at least 30 cm between them
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