(Tagetes erecta ‘Naughty Marietta’)

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Naughty Marietta Marigold is an compact annual flower that is native to Mexico but can be commonly found growing on banks and slopes throughout the central and eastern United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 6-12” and features divided green foliage and aromatic flower heads that have yellow petals with mahogany streaks at their base. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and ladybugs, repels bean beetles, cabbage loopers, and nematodes, is both edible and medicinal, and can be used as a trap crop for aphids. 
  • General Information
  • Soil Preparation & Start Indoors
  • Transplant Outdoors & Start Outdoors
  • ​Crop Care
  • ​Harvesting
  • Seed Saving
  • Culinary
  • Medicinal Uses
  • Companion Planting
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Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Tagetes

Species: erecta

Variety: Naughty Marietta Marigold

Native to: Guatemala, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest.

Introduced into: Alabama, Andaman Is., Angola, Arkansas, Assam, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, California, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Cayman Is., Chad, Colombia, Connecticut, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, France, Galápagos, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Illinois, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Jawa, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Korea, Krym, Laccadive Is., Laos, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Madeira, Marianas, Marshall Is., Maryland, Massachusetts, Mauritius, Missouri, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, New York, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Niue, North Carolina, North Caucasus, Northern Provinces, Norway, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pakistan, Panamá, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Puerto Rico, Rodrigues, Romania, Réunion, Sicilia, South Carolina, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Transcaucasus, Trinidad-Tobago, Tubuai Is., Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Utah, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vermont, Vietnam, Virginia, Windward Is., Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Ease of Growing: Easy

Grown as: Annual

Days to Maturity: Spring/Summer 50-60 days

Hardiness: Tender, These were originally tropical plants and don’t like cold weather or frost.

Crops: Spring Transplant, Summer

Growing Season: Short, Long

Growing Conditions: Warm, Hot. This tropical plant grows naturally in zones 9 to 11, but can be grown in colder climates as an annual.

Outdoor Growing Temp: 60°F - 95°F

Min Outdoor Soil Temp: 60°F. Don’t plant out until soil is at least 60˚ F, preferably higher.

Start Indoors: Yes

Start Outdoors: Yes

Light: Sun: min. 6 hours daily (Warm, Hot). Marigolds need full sun for best growth. They won't grow nearly as well in part shade and flowering will be delayed.

Water: Low. Marigolds are somewhat drought tolerant, but flower best if the soil is slightly moist (not wet though).

Feeder: Light. Marigolds aren't very hungry plants and growing them in rich soil can actually result in lush growth at the expense of flowers.

Suitability: High heat

Small Gardens?: Yes

Containers?: Yes. Marigold is well suited to container growing.

Attracts beneficial insects?: Yes

Height: 6" to 12"
 
Spacing: 5" to 9"

Sow Depth: 1/4"
 
Produces: divided green foliage and aromatic flower heads that have yellow petals with mahogany streaks at their base.

USDA Zone: 3a-9b

Soil Preparation

​Soil Preference:
Soil pH: 5.5-7.0, Ideal 5.8-6.2. Any well drained garden soil will work. It doesn't need to be very rich as this can result in excessive foliage growth and less flowers.

Soil Preparation:
Compost (Nitrogen), 2 inches apart, in top 6" of soil, 1 time: Incorporate compost into the top 6" of soil.

Start Indoors

Seed Sowing Depth: 0.0" to 0.25". The seed can be sown on the surface, but is generally covered with ¼” of soil.

Soil temp for germination: 60°F to 90°F, optimal 75°F to 80°F, optimal 75°F

Total weeks to grow transplant: 7 to 8 (Spring/Summer), (Fall/Winter)
​
Germinate:
2-4 weeks before last frost date: The seed doesn't germinate well in cold soil, so it is often started indoors 4 to 6 weeks before planting out. It transplants well so it can be started in flats. Place seeds 1/4" in deep in soil and keep moist.

Transplant Outdoors

2-4 weeks after last frost date: Plant out 2 to 4 weeks after the last frost, into fairly warm soil.

Warm, Hot: This tropical plant grows naturally in zones 9 to 11, but can be grown in colder climates as an annual.

When outdoor temp: 60°F to 95°F, optimal temp 65°F to 70°F

When min soil temp: 60°F. Don’t plant out until soil is at least 60˚ F, preferably higher.

Spacing: 8"-12", 2 plants per sq ft. Sow seeds 2 - 3" apart. Thin to a final spacing of 8 - 12" apart.

Start Outdoors

When Warm, Hot: This tropical plant grows naturally in zones 9 to 11, but can be grown in colder climates as an annual.

When outdoor temp: 60°F to 95°F, optimal temp 65°F to 70°F

When min soil temp: 60°F. Don’t plant out until soil is at least 60˚ F, preferably higher.

Seed Depth: 0.0"-0.25". The seed can be sown on the surface, but is generally covered with ¼” of soil.

Spacing: 8.0"-12.0", 2 plants per sq ft. Sow seeds 2 - 3" apart. Thin to a final spacing of 8 - 12" apart.

Summer Crop:
2-12 weeks after last frost date: The seed can be direct sown any time after the soil has warmed up to at least 60˚ F. Plant 1/4" deep and keep soil moist during germination.

Support: No
Very easily grown from seed, Marigolds require little attention and are a favorite plant for children to grow.

Water Needs: Low. Marigolds are somewhat drought tolerant, but flower best if the soil is slightly moist (not wet though).

Fertilizer Needs: Light. Marigolds aren't very hungry plants and growing them in rich soil can actually result in lush growth at the expense of flowers.

Support: No
Ripening: When and How. Flower, 1-56 days after maturity
​
When: Cut in the early morning, just as the blossoms begin to open.

How: Using a sharp blade, cut the stem at the desired length (ideally at the base). Immediately put cut marigolds in a container of moderately warm water. After 2 hours, strip the bottom leaves that are submerged in the water from the plant. Arrange flowers in a vase with fresh water. They should last a week.

Deadheading flowers will extend the blossoming period all the way to the first frost.
Marigolds produce seed freely (if the faded flowers are left on the plants), though their offspring will be a mix of different characteristics, unless you hand pollinate. The heavy flowering hybrid Marigolds, Triploids are sterile and so don't produce viable seed.

Seed Viability in Years: 2 - 4 years
Edible parts of French Marigold: The flowers are used in refreshing drinks. The leaves are used as a food flavoring. No further details are given. The essential oil is used as a food flavoring, though it is inferior to the oil obtained from T. minuta. The dried flowers are an adulterant of saffron(Crocus sativus), used for coloring foods yellow.

Taste:
Some cultivars have pleasant tasting flowers that are a nice addition to salads. Taste the flowers to see if they are worth eating.

Culinary Use:
The flowers of some types of Marigolds are edible. Basically, if it tastes good, you can use it.
The whole herb is aromatic, digestive, diuretic and sedative. It is used internally in the treatment of indigestion, colic, severe constipation, coughs and dysentery. Externally, it is used to treat sore eyes and rheumatism. The leaves are harvested as required for immediate use during the growing season, whilst the flowering plant can be dried and stored for later use.
Project Purity Seeds can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Allies: Marigolds have acquired a large body of companion gardening lore surrounding their reputed insect repelling qualities. Companion gardeners suggest planting them with cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and roses, insisting that the pungently scented plants control aphids, cabbage loopers, imported cabbageworms, Mexican bean beetles, and nematodes. Only a few of the claims are backed up by scientific research, and sometimes the results are contradictory. In addition, marigolds appear to have an allelopathic effect on some neighbors. In one study, French marigolds (Tagetes patula) repelled Mexican bean beetles, but the growth of the beans was stunted, apparently by the presence of the marigolds. One study on cabbageworm counts found that marigolds had no effect; in another, the number of worms was reduced but so was the size of the heads (apparently because of an allelopathic substance from the marigolds). Nematode studies are more definitive, showing a decrease in population in at least five species of nematodes. Early studies focused on the resistance of marigolds to nematodes and found that the plants contain a potent nematocide that controlled meadow and root know nematodes on infested land. Later studies showed that potato root nematodes were unaffected or only slightly reduced by the toxin. Spectacular nematode control resulted when marigolds were interplanted with tomatoes, and similar results were shown with tobacco. Gardeners in India row marigolds between beds of tomato family vegetables such as potatoes, chili peppers, and eggplants, changing the layout year by year so that the whole garden area receives a dose of marigold nematocide.

Companions: Due to the possible allelopathic effects, it’s probably best to plant marigolds and vegetables in separate beds. Grow the marigolds as a cover crop and turn them into the soil at the end of the season. The brightly colored flowers are always welcome in ornamental plantings.

Enemies: Marigolds appear to be allelopathic to beans and vegetables of the cabbage family.

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