Where to Plant Marigolds in Your Vegetable Garden

Marigolds are a cheerful, colorful flower that most gardeners are familiar with. But did you know that marigolds aren’t just pretty faces? These flowers actually serve a practical purpose in the vegetable garden by helping to protect and support the growth of vegetables.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits marigolds provide and the best practices for where and how to plant marigolds in your veggie garden.

Why Plant Marigolds in a Vegetable Garden?

There are a few key reasons why marigolds are a gardener’s best friend when it comes to growing veggies:

• Pest deterrent – Marigolds contain pyrethrum, a natural chemical that helps deter common vegetable pests like mosquitos, aphids, whiteflies, squash bugs, and tomato hornworms. Some also repel nematodes and other harmful soil-dwelling organisms.

• Pollinator attractant – The bright, fragrant flowers attract beneficial pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, and hoverflies to your garden. More pollinator visitors means better pollination and fruit set for your vegetables.

• Companion planting benefits – When planted near certain vegetables, marigolds have been shown to stimulate growth, increase yields, and make the plants more disease-resistant through intricate natural processes that scientists don’t fully understand. More on companion planting benefits later.

• Beautification – With their cheery color and ability to bloom non-stop all season, marigolds simply make a vegetable garden more attractive!

Where to Plant Marigolds in a Vegetable Garden

Now that you know why to plant marigolds, let’s explore the optimal placement for reaping all these benefits in your veggie garden.

As Single Companion Plants

One very common approach is to plant marigolds as companion plants next to specific vegetable varieties they benefit. Some tried-and-true pairings include:

• Marigolds next to tomatoes – Improves growth and deters hornworms
• Marigolds next to potatoes – Deters potato beetles
• Marigolds next to brassicas like broccoli and cabbage – Deters cabbage moths
• Marigolds next to beans and peas – Improves yields
• Marigolds next to lettuce – Protects from aphids
• Marigolds next to onions and garlic – Improves resistance to disease

When planting marigolds as companions, place them within 6-12 inches of the vegetable plant. You can dot individual marigold plants throughout your garden bed near their buddy crop.

In Wild Profusion

Another option is to let marigolds run freely throughout your vegetable beds. When planted en masse in a polyculture scheme, marigolds will happily fill in blank spaces and meander through your vegetables.

This results in a gorgeous, almost wildflower meadow-like effect. It also maximizes pest protection across your entire garden since the marigolds’ roots commingle and scent the whole area.

As Intercropping Rows

For a neater, more ordered look, marigolds can be planted as rows in between rows of vegetables in an intercropping scheme. As an added bonus, the marigolds provide a vibrant splash of color!

Some examples:

• Plant a row of marigolds between every 2 rows of tomatoes
• Alternate rows of marigolds and carrots
• Create marigold stripes in an orchard style layout along with your squash and peppers

As Garden Borders

Finally, planting marigolds along the outer edges and perimeters of your growing space makes for an attractive border. It also helps deter pests from ever making it into your garden in the first place.

Try encircling your entire vegetable garden with marigolds 1-2 plants deep. You can also line them along:

• The front and back edges of a raised bed
• Along the sides of trellised crops like tomatoes or cucumbers
• Around the base of fruit trees and shrubs

This protective border approach is sometimes called the “sacrificial lamb” method since the marigolds act as bait to lure pests away from your crops.

Marigold Planting Tips

Follow these tips to get the most out of your marigolds:

• Choose marigold varieties that are known to do best as companion plants like Signet, Petite, or Lemondrop.

• Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last expected frost date, or purchase nursery transplants.

• Plant marigolds in full sun in well-draining soil. They prefer poor to average fertility

• Space marigolds 6-12 inches apart depending on variety size. They grow 12-30 inches tall on average.

• Pinch or trim marigold flowers once spent to encourage new blooms.

• At season end, till spent plants into vegetable beds to add organic matter.

Ask An Expert: How Close Do Marigolds Need to Be?

On a popular gardening forum, a user named VeggieGrower88 asked:

“How close do marigold companion plants need to be to my vegetables in order to be effective? Is it okay if they are across the garden bed from each other?”

MasterGardener101 replied:

“Great question! Most experts recommend planting marigolds within 6-12 inches of their companion vegetables. Some believe they need to be touching or extremely close for the companion effects to work. However, studies have shown benefits even when planted further away across a garden bed up to several feet apart. The pest deterrent effects in particular tend to have a wider range. That said, closer proximity is believed to enhance the other growth and disease fighting benefits. So aim for 6-12 inches if possible, but don’t stress if they end up a bit further apart!”

The Takeaway

Marigolds offer an easy, colorful way to naturally protect your vegetable garden from pests while attracting pollinators and improving growth. Strategically plant them as single companion plants, wild profusion plantings, neat intercropping rows, or border plantings. With proper care and placement, they’ll soon become your most treasured ornamental edible garden helper!