Bring a little sunshine and cheer into your garden! You can't help but smile when you see a cheerful, bright orange calendula flower smiling back at you. This beautiful marigold is edible and also provides beautiful medicine. At our farm, it blooms almost year-round! Although it's technically an annual, it has an amazing ability to re-seed itself so it pops up year after year. (Calendula officinalis)
Why We Love It
Here are some of the reasons why we love calendula...
1) SOOTHING - Calendula is very soothing for topical heat and irritation. It's great on burns, boils, rashes, and sunburn.
2) - PROTECTOR - Calendula helps to stimulate the immune system, so can be used to help with sore throats, infections, and swollen glands.
3) DELICIOUS - Calendula flowers are as delicious as they are beautiful. Sprinkle the petals in your salads for a gorgeous pop of yummy color.
How to Grow It
Here's how to grow Calendula:
| SUN | FULL SUN |
| MOISTURE | LIKES GARDEN MOISTURE |
| GROWING ZONES | USDA ZONES 3-10 (Not sure? Find your growing zone here) |
| SIZE | 18 INCHES TALL & WIDE |
| Growing from Seed |
Direct seed in garden in early spring after last frost. Plant 2” deep, cover with soil, tamp, and keep moist until germination, usually 7-14 days. It needs cool temps to germinate. Pro Tip: Calendula prefers cooler weather. This plant is a wonderful annual re-seeder. It will drop seeds and pop up the following year. It seems to grow best from seed that is planted in Fall or early Spring. |
How to Harvest & Use It
The parts of the calendula that are used for eating and medicine are the beautiful flowers. They can be used fresh or dried. Here's a great video from the Herbal Jedi about how to use calendula:
And here's another great resource for how to use calendula from Sajah Popham.