Marigolds are, without a doubt, lovely flowers to look at. Your gardens and landscaping will receive an uncomplicated and eye-catching splash of color from their brilliant yellow and orange tones.
But were you aware that marigolds have more to offer than simply their charming appearance?
Marigolds bring a number of advantages to your vegetable garden; hence, you should never let a growing season pass without planting at least a couple of these flowers. If you decide to add a touch of gold in your gardens, there are very few flowers that can match the beauty and simplicity of marigolds
Take a look at these 12 Reasons to Plant Marigolds in Vegetable Gardens to have a better understanding of the many ways in which these dainty little flowers may be of use to your garden. Once you have this information, you will want to move quickly in order to get a suitable garden.
1. It is a Magnet for Bees and other types of Pollinators
The presence of bees and other pollinators in a garden can be increased by planting marigolds. Honeybees, butterflies, birds, and even people can’t resist the irresistible nectar and pollen found in this flower’s vibrant blossoms.
If you want to attract these helpful insects and also see beautiful greenery from your kitchen window, plant single-bloomed varieties near vegetables where their favorite food, pollen, is easy to reach.
2. Serve as an efficient kind of Trap Crop
Marigolds, according to the opinions of certain horticulturists, have the potential to be an effective trap crop for some kinds of insects. This indicates that they attract bugs to themselves, preventing those pests from damaging precious crops.
One such creature is the slug, which adores marigolds. It is possible to spare slugs from certain death by planting a large number of marigolds around garden beds that contain other plants that slugs adore.
3. Marigolds are extremely Resilient Plants
Growing annual flowers can be challenging due to the fact that the plants often demand a great deal of maintenance, including consistent watering.
However, the majority of marigold cultivars are resistant to drought, which means that you won’t have to worry about your flower patch when there is a heat wave.
After they have been established, the hardy blooms are able to withstand changes in temperature and typically continue to bloom far into the fall. They are often the kinds that hold on the longest, till the conclusion of the gardening season.
Marigolds may be grown easily from seed, in contrast to other ornamentals, such as daffodils, which need gardeners to get bulbs or stratify seeds.
There are also types of marigolds that rapidly produce their own seeds, which means that you may have a fresh supply of blooms each spring without having to put in a lot of effort.
If you don’t want your marigold flowers to spread their own seeds, cut off the flower heads before they can do so.
4. Marigolds are Edible
Since you are already cultivating fruits and vegetables in your yard, why not also cultivate flowers that may be eaten? Marigolds can be consumed in a variety of forms, such as jellies, teas, and other beverages.
Marigolds are so versatile that they can even be used as a garnish for salads and sweet dishes. They provide a very attractive splash of color to the platters.
Remember that you should only eat flowers that you have grown yourself and that have not been treated with any form of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
5. Marigolds help attract Ladybugs
Your vegetable garden will benefit from the presence of ladybugs since these insects consume potentially dangerous pests like aphids. Because aphids are capable of causing significant harm to your food plants, it is critical to get them under control as soon as possible.
Try using marigolds as an alternative to doing this with chemicals if you prefer an approach that is closer to being natural. Marigolds are known to entice ladybugs, which will then serve as a kind of natural pest control in your garden.
6. Marigolds are known to draw in a variety of Predatory Insects
They not only attract those insects that are necessary for pollination, but they also attract insects that can assist you in organically controlling pests.
Marigolds have the potential to attract predatory insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, parasitic mini-wasps, and other beneficial insects that will consume aphids and other pests that might cause harm to your crops. These beneficial insects will help keep your crops healthy.
If you can attract any of these helpful insect species, it will not only contribute to the maintenance of a healthy environment, but it should also make it less likely that any existing pest issues will become out of hand.
8. Medicinal Properties
Because calendula and marigolds are members of the same family, calendula’s many beneficial properties can also be found in marigolds. Some of the most valuable health benefits you can receive from marigolds and calendulas include the following:
Marigolds are beneficial for treating a variety of skin ailments, including eczema, bedsores, rashes, small cuts, and varicose veins. In addition to this, they are useful in the treatment of wounds, inflammation, and itching.
9. They are able to produce an Essential Oil, which is used in the Fragrance Industry
The essential oil may be extracted from scented French marigolds, making them not only an attractive plant but also a valuable one. The distillation process utilizes the plant as a whole.
This essential oil has a wide variety of applications, one of which is in the fragrance industry. The fragrance known as “attar genda” is created by combining the essential oil of marigold with the oil of sandalwood.
10. Marigolds are Quite simple to Cultivate
The fact that marigolds are simple to cultivate is the primary factor that contributes to their widespread appeal.
Marigolds are adaptable plants that may thrive in a diverse variety of soils and environmental situations. All that is required of them is an abundance of sunlight. If you make sure to put them in spots that get enough sunlight, you shouldn’t have any problems with these plants at all.
Marigolds may be grown from seed around four to six weeks before the last frost date in your region. Germination typically takes place within one to two weeks after the seeds have been planted.
11. Preserve the Tomatoes’ Crop
Marigolds and tomato plants get along well, so positioning marigolds next to tomato plants provides an additional, critical barrier against pests.
It has been demonstrated to be effective in warding off tomato-loving pests such as nematodes, snails, tomato hornworms, and others. As an alternative to planting marigolds, gardeners can instead spread citrus or orange peels around the bases of their tomato plants
12. Companion Plants That Go Well With a Wide Variety of Vegetables
Because bush beans
, potatoes, broccoli, squash, eggplant, and kale all benefit from having marigolds as companion plants in their vegetable gardens, marigolds are a good addition to most vegetable gardens.
Marigolds are regarded as neutral companions for a wide variety of other plants. This indicates that they are neither hazardous nor useful to the other plants, which enables them to be planted in a variety of garden regions.