Flower Gardens

» Belinda Mooney - Calendula?

Belinda

Kids Crafts

» Cottage_Garden - Calendula? Pot Marigold Indoors

Hi Belinda! Interesting question! Despite the common name pot marigold, I don't really think it is too practical to do this so I have never tried it.

But, apparently it can be done with Calendula officinalis if you have an exceptionally bright indoor growing location.

This makes sense as it prefers full sun outside, although I have found them hard to transplant once they exceed an inch or two in size.

They also take a while to reach blooming stage, so starting them from seed in the fall indoors probably would not work too well due to the shortening days.

One source (herbs2000.com) suggests potting it up and providing a minimum of five hours of direct sun or ample artifical light. It says to pot them up by midsummer and to avoid overwatering.

This plant continues to bloom very late in the season, even through frosts, so it may not be worth bringing indoors unless you really have the right spot for it. In my Pennsylvania garden, despite freezing weather that had already occurred, I once found it blooming on New Years Day! That was the exception of course but it was a delightful discovery.

Here is a photo!.

ps I will eventually change the name of this discussion to Calendula Pot Marigold so others can locate it, too.

-- posted by Cottage_Garden