What are marigolds?
Marigolds are the bedding flower types that have many vibrant colors. Their vibrant color richness makes many people associate these flowers with cheerful characteristics. Like their vibrant and cheerful traits, we often find marigolds in summer times.
The southwestern part through the central and southern part of the United States are the roads where we frequently find marigolds. We can find these flowers in every garden, and vegetable gardens are no exception.
However, some people argue, “Are marigolds good for vegetable gardens?” We are certain that these bedding flowers have extraordinary abilities that help the growth of the vegetables. So, we’re going to uncover why the answers are yes.
Benefits of Marigolds
Marigolds are hardy annual plants that come in a variety of colors. Marigolds provide several health and garden advantages.
Calendula marigold flowers have been used for generations for their medicinal properties. While the more popular tagetes species may not provide as many health benefits, it does provide gardening advantages.
Planting marigolds in your food gardens will keep moles, deer, and other wildlife at bay. Marigolds have also been reported to repel insects; however, this is not true.
Marigolds attract bees and helpful insects like ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and lacewings, all feast on dangerous insects, lowering the number of hazardous insects in your yard.
Marigolds, which contain poisons, also aid in the elimination of nematodes. Nematodes are tiny worms that attack the roots of plants.
This is a tried-and-true idea that is especially useful for tomato plants prone to nematode infestation.
Marigolds are available in a variety of hues, which will help brighten up any garden in addition to these gardening advantages.
Are marigolds good for vegetable gardens?
While it’s true that we can find marigolds in vegetable gardens, we still have to answer the primary question in this article. That question is, “Are marigolds good for vegetable gardens?”
“Yes” is the answer to such questions. Unlike other more common flower types, marigolds can deter garden pests that hinder vegetables’ growth. It is because marigolds have a robust fragrant scent that we can’t find in any other flowers.
If there are any insects that marigolds attract, those insect types would be the insects that bring benefit to the vegetables.
Ladybugs and lacewings are not only the insects that prey on harmful pests, but their attractions to marigolds also help marigolds in getting rid of the vegetable predators and pests.
What garden pests can marigolds get rid of from the vegetable gardens?
Since the answer to the “Are marigolds good for vegetable gardens?” is yes, the next part of this article will explore the benefits marigolds bring to the vegetable gardens. We will see what garden pests they can get rid of since this characteristic is their primary strength.
Beetles are some of the pests that marigolds can get rid of. These bedding flowers can also eliminate the populations of slugs, leafhoppers, the dreaded hornworms, and many other vegetable predators.
In many cases, marigolds can even eliminate nematodes, which contain harmful toxins for plants. These amazing pest-killing benefits make them suitable companions for many types of vegetables.
What vegetables are compatible with marigolds? (Some more characteristics of marigolds)
Marigolds’ ability to protect vegetables from pests and predators makes them great companions for most types of vegetables.
Cucumbers, melons, eggplants, tomatoes, lettuces, potatoes, pumpkins, and asparagus are common vegetables that go along with marigolds in a vegetable garden.
Marigolds themselves are flowers tolerant to drought and thrive in sunny, hot weather. Another thing worth considering is that their pH level is between 6.0-7.0, making marigolds slightly acidic to neutral.
Therefore, any vegetables that support such living conditions will be compatible with marigolds.
As usual, we still have to consider the placements for each vegetable and the comparison with other plants in the same garden. We will uncover more about these things in the next sections.
What vegetables are not compatible with marigolds?
Not all vegetables are compatible with marigolds, even though marigolds are well-known for getting rid of harmful pests. Their distinct characteristics are not the only things that make them not always compatible with every vegetable.
Beans and cabbages are two vegetables that become marigolds’ primary enemies. Hence, you can never place any of these vegetables near marigolds.
Another thing is that you can’t plant two or more conflicting vegetables, even though both (or more) of the plants and the marigolds support each other’s growth.
For example, you should avoid planting cucumbers, pumpkins, and tomatoes near potatoes. Another example would be about avoiding planting onions with asparagus.
Even though these vegetables are all compatible with marigolds, their benefits will decrease if we don’t accurately plant them. Some incompatible vegetables may even trigger illness in other plants (including but not limited to marigolds and the vegetables themselves).
How should the spacings be for marigolds to support the vegetable’s growth?
African and French marigolds have different traits that affect how we should space each marigold. The spacings should be precise, too. In doing so, the marigolds’ ability to benefit from the vegetables will not get any disturbances.
African marigolds need around 10-12 inches of space between each marigold if we are not using any containers. The containers themselves should be around 10-inch for each African marigold inside them.
On the other hand, you need to allocate around 8-10 inches for every French marigold you plant. The containers’ requirement for French marigolds is slightly shorter than the African marigolds, which are around 6-inch tall.
It is okay to arrange marigolds in several “cool” ways, such as placing them vertically or contrasting the marigolds with both cool and warm colors. At the same time, don’t forget always to check the moisture levels and make sure they are dried enough.