Not all summer bloomers can cope with the special climatic conditions on a balcony. The rather undemanding marigold can be easily grown alongside other edible plants and herbs on the balcony as long as there is enough sunlight.
How to plant marigolds on the balcony?
To successfully plant marigolds on the balcony, choose a sunny location, use sufficiently deep planters and a substrate mixture of potting soil and sand. Regular watering and removing wilted flowers promote flower formation.
Select the correct location and substrate
The common marigold “Calendula officinalis” loves locations that are as sunny to partially shaded as possible, so south-facing balconies are particularly suitable for cultivation. On average, the plants on the balcony should receive at least 4 hours of sunlight every day. Since the soil in the pots or balcony boxes is exposed to more extreme conditions than in the garden bed, daily watering of the calendula on the balcony may be necessary in midsummer. Choose sufficiently deep planters as the calendula develops taproots. The substrate should contain a certain amount of sand or clay. Simply mix pure commercial potting soil with a little sand.
Increase the number of flowers of the calendula on the balcony
You can help ensure that the calendula's magnificent flowering period brings even more splashes of color to your balcony. Simply cut off the flowers that are beginning to wilt regularly so that the marigold forms new flowers and does not put any energy into the development of the seeds. Of course, you can leave the last flowers at the end of summer so that you can harvest well-ripened seeds in the fall for sowing the following year. Since balcony boxes are usually free of pesticides and other contaminants, you can use the flowers fresh or dried as a medicinal plant and colorful food ingredient.
Grow the marigold annually on the balcony
The marigold is a relatively short-lived and annual plant in this country due to its sensitivity to frost. However, it can be propagated relatively easily in the following ways:
- through self-seeding
- by direct sowing in the garden after the last frost
- by putting it under glass or on the windowsill
You can remove the wilted plants from the balcony boxes in autumn and leave them outdoors over the winter. There is a relatively high probability that self-sown calendula seeds will sprout on their own in the spring. If necessary, you can also re-sow the seeds you collected and dried in the fall into the planters and cover them lightly with soil.
Tip
So that the stems of the marigold do not break in strong gusts of wind, you should fix them with support rods if necessary or choose the lowest possible types for cultivation on the balcony.
