Flowers & companions
Calendula
Edible petals, easy.
- Outside
- Direct mid May
- Where
- Flower row or bed edge
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate, then dry-tolerant; water at the base
- Harvest
- Petals Jun to Oct, pick often
Care
- Water
- A moderate drink while it settles in, then it shrugs off dry spells; poke a finger down before you reach for the hose. Water at the base, not over the top, or damp leaves invite mildew.
- Sow
- A quarter inch deep, dropped straight into the row in mid May, thinned to a good foot or more so air can move between plants. It comes up in a week or two once the ground warms.
- Feed
- A light feeder, content in ordinary, well-drained soil. Work a little compost in at sowing and leave it at that; it wants no liquid feed to keep the flowers coming.
- Ready
- Keep picking to keep it blooming: pull the petals once a flower opens fully, after the dew has dried. Let it set seed instead and it calls the year done.
- Trouble
- Powdery mildew in cool, damp spells: give plants elbow room for air, water low at the base, and pull any dusty leaves. Whiteflies or aphids: knock them off with a hard jet of water or insecticidal soap.
In a bag?
- Yes
- Up to a 3–5 gal bag.
- Water
- A bag dries faster than the bed, so check it daily in a hot spell; still water at the base, not overhead, to keep mildew off the leaves.
- Feed
- Bags leach with each watering, so a light monthly top-dress keeps the bloom coming; it stays an easy, modest feeder even so.
- Sow
- One or two plants per bag.
Calendula is the easy annual of the flower row, sown in May, blooming June to frost, petals headed for the kitchen. It self-sows just enough to feel like a perennial without behaving like a weed.
Growing
Sow in place in mid May, thin to a foot, and pick constantly, because picking is what keeps it blooming; a plant allowed to set seed considers its season finished. It prefers the cool ends of summer and sails through the first light frosts. The flowers also draw the small predatory insects that quietly police aphids nearby, which is a useful habit in a border plant. Moderate water while it establishes is enough; after that a dry spell slows the bloom without stopping it.
Varieties
Resina was selected for heavy bloom and resin-rich petals; Pacific Beauty covers the classic orange and yellow range.
In the kitchen
Petals scatter over salads and rice and dry easily in a paper bag for winter. The old name, pot marigold, records exactly this use.