How to Grow Calendula
Calendula At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -7°C
Plant Family
Asteraceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Calendula handles light frost, so sow it about 2 weeks before your last spring frost, right where it will flower. Push the curled seeds 0.5 cm deep, a few every 20 cm, and cover them. They sprout in 7 to 14 days: keep the strongest seedling at each spot. Once you have grown it, it often seeds itself and comes back on its own each year.
Calendula, also called pot marigold, is one of the easiest flowers to grow and blooms from early summer until hard frost. It is a different plant from the common marigold, even though the names are alike. Bees love it, and the petals are edible, so it earns a spot next to your vegetables.
When To Start
First chance to plant
30 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
30 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Calendula?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Calendula Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Calendula Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow calendula outdoors now, where it will flower
2 weeks before your last frost· every year
Optional: start calendula indoors in small pots
7 weeks before your last frost· every year· optional
Pick calendula flowers and faded blooms to keep it flowering
50 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your calendula seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your calendula is growing nicely! Pinch the tip once it has a few sets of leaves for a bushier plant.
About 31 days after you plant it
Calendula flowers are close! Pick them when fully open, and keep picking to get more blooms.
About 47 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your calendula.
About 50 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Calendula's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Plant calendula in full sun, at least 6 hours a day, though it likes a bit of afternoon shade in a hot summer.
- 2Ordinary soil with a little compost mixed in is plenty, since very rich soil gives lots of leaves and fewer flowers.
- 3Water when the top 2 to 3 cm of soil is dry, at the base of the plant.
- 4A dose of compost tea once a month keeps pot-grown plants blooming.
- 5If aphids (tiny soft green or black bugs) cluster on the buds, knock them off with a strong spray of water.
- 6Space plants about 20 cm apart so air moves between them, and pull off any leaves covered in white powder (powdery mildew).
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~50
Days to Maturity
50 cm
Mature Height
30 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
45 days
When to Pick
Harvest flowers when fully open
How to Harvest
- 1Pick the flowers when they are fully open, in the morning once the dew has dried.
- 2Snip each stem just above a pair of leaves so new flower buds grow from there.
- 3Pick or cut off faded flowers every few days, because a plant left to make seed slows down its blooming.
- 4Scatter the fresh petals on salads, or dry whole flowers on a screen in a shady, airy spot for tea.
- 5Store the dried flowers in a sealed jar away from light.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Calendula seeds come true if the variety is not a hybrid (hybrid F1 seeds will not), but different calendula varieties can cross through bees, so grow one kind if you want it to stay the same. Leave a few of the best flowers on the plant until the seed head turns brown and dry. The seeds are curled, rough little crescents and pull off easily. Spread them on a plate for a week to dry fully. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep at least 3 years.
Seed Production
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