I still vividly remember the moment when I saw pot marigolds bloom for the first time in my life. It happened on one evening in late spring…
As I walked towards my garden, I couldn’t but notice how brighter and more colorful it became since the last time I visited it (which was less than a week before). I soon knew exactly why. It was because of yellow and orange-colored flowers. My garden was full of them. They looked truly amazing amongst the sea of other green-colored vegetables I had been growing at the time!
Once my initial excitement passed, it took me some time to identify the flowering plants. You see, it was my first gardening season when I planted almost every vegetable and flower I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, I had no previous growing experience. It was hard for me to keep track of all the plants that came out of the ground…
However, ever since than I could recognize pot marigolds even in my sleep. They made such a strong impression on me. I kind of fell in love with them. Now I grow them every year. And I always look forward to seeing them flower!
There’s no doubt about it. These flowers are beautiful. They are very useful in and outside the garden as well. But when can you start picking them? And how exactly should you do it?
Keep reading. I am about to share all my pot marigold harvesting secrets with you…
You can start picking them as soon as they start flowering…
If you’re familiar with my pot marigolds planting guide, you know I sow them outside in early spring as soon as the snow melts and soil thaws. That’s usually somewhere in the first half of March. The seeds take about two weeks to sprout. The plants then grow rapidly for two months. They form their first flower heads by the end of May…
In the beginning of June, they are already in full bloom. And that’s the time when you can start picking their flowers!
I suggest you pick them often in the following days and weeks. As often as you can. On a daily basis if possible. That’s because their blooming will soon stop for a while…
You see, these plants don’t like heat. They go into some sort of hibernation mode the moment it gets too got for them. So once the summer heat intensifies and shuts them down towards the end of June and the beginning of July, they stop growing new leaves, stalks and flower heads. That’s why you won’t be able to pick any new flowers for as long as high summer temperatures last.
Don’t worry though. You can start picking them again towards the end of summer once the weather starts to cool down. That’s when they come to life again and proceed with the growth as well as with the flowering…
The pot marigolds then continue to flower for as long as autumn temperatures stay cool and above the freezing point. I can usually keep picking them for months, all the way up to November (and sometimes even longer) when winter freeze kills them off.
If you want the plants to keep flowering, then pick them regularly…
You probably know that pot marigolds have a very long flowering period. They can flower for months. From late spring until late fall…
That’s all true and right. However, what you need to know is that, by default, they flower only for a short time. You see, each plant forms only a few flower heads. Once these bloom out, the plant doesn’t form new ones and start flowering again. Instead, it focuses it’s energy into seed production, so it can reproduce itself…
So how do you prolong the blooming so it lasts for months? How do you convince the plant to keep forming new flower heads over and over again instead of setting seeds?
Well, it’s rather easy. The key to ongoing blooming is in the pickings…
If you want your plants to keep blooming, you need to pick their flower heads before they turn into seed heads. In other words, pick the plants’ flowers as often as you can. And pick them while the blooming is at the peak…
Yes, it’s really that simple. The plant wants to reproduce itself. If you remove the mature flower heads from it (also known as deadheading), it has no choice but grow more flower heads. That’s the only way for it to set seeds and achieve it’s goal.
Now, there’s also a downside to the continuous blooming and the deadheading. The successive flower heads are usually smaller in size than the first ones. But beautiful nonetheless!
You can pick or harvest pot marigolds in different ways, depends on what you want to use them for…
I harvest my pot marigolds in many different ways. It really depends on what I want to do with them, or what I want to achieve with them. For instance:
- If my main goal is to brighten up the garden and attract beneficial insects, I let the flower heads bloom for a while. Then I snip them off with my fingertips at the top of the stem. I do the same with new flower heads as soon as they reach the blooming peak.
- If I want to use them as cut flowers in my home, I pick the flower heads together with the stem or the branch. Then I put them in a vase. Once they start to die off (usually after a few days), I replace them with freshly picked ones.
- If I want to use them as cosmetics, medicine or spice, then I pick only the flower heads. I leave the stems and branches intact. I pinch them off at the top of the branch. Then I dry them in a place which has a good air circulation. I never dry them out in the sun because the sunlight bleaches them. I also double check they are dry before you store them. Otherwise they can get moldy. Once dried, I put them in a glass jar, store them in a dark, dry place and use them when I need them.
- With these harvesting or picking methods, I am able to significantly prolong the blooming seasons. Every one of them encourages plants to branch out and produce new flower heads. But only if you do it regularly. Don’t forget to check for new flowers regularly because pot marigolds rebloom rather quickly…
Why I always pick pot marigolds on a sunny day…
I always pick pot marigolds on a sunny day. And I always do it late in the morning. That’s because the flowers are wide open when the sun is shinning. Plus, the morning dew on the plants has enough time to dry off completely…
Obviously, this makes my job of picking, and especially drying, much easier. The flowers look at their best. They also dry off much quicker. And they are less likely to become moldy once I store them after the drying.
Sweet flower pickings!
Now that you know exactly when as well as how to pick pot marigolds, it’s time to put these picking / harvesting guidelines into action…
And remember, the flowering can slow down significantly during hot summer months. The plants may even die off completely during that time due to extremely hot and dry weather conditions. You can reduce the damaging effects of heat to certain degree with frequent watering. However, if you notice that your plants are becoming weaker and weaker, pruning them down to just a few inches may be the only way to save them.
If they do survive, they will revive in autumn and start flowering again. Now learn how to collect and store pot marigolds seeds, so you can enjoy them next year as well!
