Win Some of My Heirloom Marigold Seeds
May 14, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Doing it Yourself, Reusing and Recycling, Simple Pleasures
Six or seven years ago, my sister in law gave me marigold seeds from her garden. Every year since then I planted the seeds and harvested the flowers for more seeds the next year. They’re beautiful and hardy.They grow large bushes instead of small flowers. I’m always complimented on my marigolds and love to share them with others. I’m happy to report my marigolds have been planted all around the world! You can see what they look like in the picture above.
To harvest marigolds is easy. At the end of the summer when the flowers dry out, pluck them from the stem and place them in a paper bag. In the spring you can plant the seeds. Trust me when I tell you they will look amazing in your garden.
Would you like to win some of my heirloom marigold seeds? We’re looking for gardening tips today. Drop your favorite gardening tips into the comment and I’ll choose a winner at random. (Hint: One or two word answers won’t win). You have until Sunday May 18th!
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Image (c) Deborah Ng
If you started plants indoors you should acclimate them slowly to the outdoors. A few hours a day, increasing the time each day over 7-10 days is good.
Learn what reseeds itself in your garden. Then watch carefully for those flowers to come up again, and reposition them. Lots of times what is sold as an annual will naturally reseed itself, I have been doing this for years and don’t have to rebuy the same annuals. Of course you can also collect seeds.
We cover pur beds with black plastic stapled to one by tool bpard after the first hard freeze in the fall. It helps keeo the beds weed free and ready to plant in the spring with only minimum cultivation required!
I gently stir up the ground that I am expecting seedlings to appear, then wait patiently until warm weather arrives before mulching around plants. I have found mulching too early will stop seedlings appearance.
i catch rainwater from my roof in trash barrels and water my trees and plants when its dry
I like container gardening. Be sure to use potting mix and not soil,
i just bought some marigold plants to put around my tomato plants to hopefully keep them insect free but I bet they do not compare to your marigolda!
Companion Planting – Good combinations
Roses and garlic chives
Tomatoes and cabbage
Cabbage and dill
Corn and beans
Thanks for the chance to win!
Oh my word! 110 comments? Wow!
How do you store the seed once they’re in the bag? Do you store them at room temperature, in the fridge? I got some Marigold seeds this year from my daughter for Mother’s Day. I hope they turn out well.
To save money on gardening, you can put an ad of freecycle. Some people are giving away volunteer bushes and plants that have multiplied well. A lot of things in my mom’s yard have come from relatives and people at church that have shared their extras. She in turn has also shared her plant’s offsprings.
My husband seems to believe that if he lets the grass grow into our flower beds that the weeds will be choked out – NOT TRUE! It is only a LOT more work for me. With all this extra grass around, I have found spots where it can be transplanted. Although I doubt I will get it all out of the flower beds by summers end, I will have “free” sod to move from place to place – and it allows me the time to separate my bulbs and move the flowers around – so, I let him think that he is doing me a favor – NOT!
I’ve been adding egg shells to my compost pile. They say it keeps slugs out of your plants. Wish I could get rid of my grubs!
I visit my garden every morning. I walk around to see what’s new and blooming. I pull a few weeds here and there and see what needs attention. It’s easier to stay on top of a large garden if you do this daily. Plus, it’s the best part of my day. My garden gives back to me ten-fold!
I love Marigolds. It would be an honor to receive these.
My tip is to make gardening a family project. We each get something specific to do, so we all feel excited at the end results.
ty!! 4 the great contest! my sis was telling me the other day i needed to plant some marigolds in my flowerbeds. I think marigolds are suppose to help repel bugs if planted in the garden or near it.I like old fashion flower beds and like to plant the ones that come up on their own yearly.:)
Compost material is great for your garden. All you need is a small corner or your yard and a box to place your compostable materials (anything organic). Your plants will flourish when this composted material is placed in your garden (flowers or vegetables).
Plant native flowers in order to reduce pesticides in the environment
Beautiful flowers
Natural insect repellents include marigolds; marigolds are known for keeping pests away from tomato plants. Coffee grounds repel ants when the grounds are spread around the foundation of your home.
I use crushed eggshells as fertilizer.
I will put about a tablespoon of neem oil in a spray bottle with water and a couple drops of dish soap, mix it and spray it on the plants in my garden. It keeps some pests away and it’s non-toxic.
We always use Bloom Booster on our flowers and Gardens.
I put used tea leaves in my flower beds and turn over the soil. Acts as a fertilizer and gives the flowers more bloom.
Epsom is good for soil that has a lot of clay in it. Though I have not tried it I have been told that if you have scrap pieces of drywall you can soak it and get rid of the paper and use the epsom to break down the clay.