5 Reasons you should plant Marigolds in your Veggie Garden

Marigolds, which originated from America, are beautiful flowers which bloom in bright colours; red, orange, yellow, gold and (less commonly) white. While Marigolds are generally thought of as a flower, they are technically considered a herb - with healing properties. Similar to other Hildegard healing herbs, such as Violet and Yarrow, Marigold flowers contain essential oils, specifically a high concentration of flavonoids, such as carotene. The Marigold is a part of the Asteraceae herb family, which consists of about 50 different species!

These little plants flourish best when fully exposed to sunlight, and planted directly in the ground. They require around 4cm of water 2 x a week from yourwatering can, and they typically bloom for several months, granted they get adequate sunlight. All in all, Marigolds are beautiful, hardy and easy to grow/maintain. But why do people plant them with their veggies and what are the benefits? Well, ourGarden Supplies team atBrookies Rural Traders are here to give you the low down!

1. Pest Control

Marigolds can serve as a great alternative to chemical pesticides (if you are trying to move away from chemical use) and while they won’t be as successful, they can be a great addition to your overall pest control regime. Now there’s lot’s of claims around which pests Marigolds can repel (some of which are quite outlandish - e.g. rabbits). However, there’s substantial evidence that supports Marigolds repelling some species of beetles, and moths. And, it was confirmed that marigolds’ secretion of limonene can help (at least a little) in repelling whiteflies.

1. Marigolds are Edible 

Yep it’s true, Marigolds are edible! Of course, being a herb this isn’t wildly surprising but interesting nonetheless. Because they are edible, they are easy to harvest along with your lettuce, cucumber, tomato, capsicum and other herbs for that nutritious side salad. Similarly, they can also make lovely cake decorations! 

1. Marigolds can act as a Trap Crop 

If you haven’t heard of a Trap Crop before, it simply refers to a plant/s which lure more pesky insects in, to keep them away from the more valuable plants/veggies. For instance, slugs are drawn to Marigolds, so planting a ring of ‘sacrificial’ marigolds around a garden bed might aid in protecting your beloved silverbeet. 

1. Marigolds attract Bees 

Being that Marigolds bloom for several months, they become an excellent source of pollen for bees and other pollinators throughout the growing season.

Some marigolds are better than others for certain pollinating insect species; typically single flower types are better than doubles. However, in saying that it’s important to include a wide variety of flowers in your veggie patch to encourage a range of different pollinators. 

1. They are easy to look after 

We touched on this point earlier, but it’s significant because many plants/flowers require significant maintenance to successfully grow and nurture, but the ease of Marigolds means you can plant them with your veggies and herbs, and water them at the same you do with your other plants, so there’s very little additional work in adding these beautiful herbs to your garden.