Marigolds from seed

Marigold 'Sweet Cream' in the 'Jap' Pumpkin patch

Marigold 'Safari' yellow as edging amongst leeks

Last year a kind reader of this blog sent me seeds of these Marigolds as a thank you for sending her some other seeds. They are from the American company 2Bseeds which is an enterprise of the Busch family in Golden Valley, Minneapolis in the State of Minnesota. Their seeds are foil packed with a zip-lock which always comes in handy for ease of storage and less likelihood of spillage. However what I like about their seed packets and their web site is that they give all the technical information on sowing, germination and aftercare which is normally only provided for professional growers. For example the Marigolds are recommended to be grown at a pH of 6.2 to 6.5 as a pH of less than 6.00 may induce iron, manganese or sodium toxicity in the plants. Symptoms are exhibited on the lower leaves and include yellowing or burning of leaf edges. Marigolds can therefore be used as an indicator plant for acid soils.