When to Plant Marigolds
Start marigolds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost, then plant them out 1 to 3 weeks after your last frost.
Marigolds at a glance
- Start indoors
- 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost
- Plant out
- 1 to 3 weeks after your last frost
- Time to bloom
- 30 to 50 days from planting out
- In bloom for
- about 20 weeks
- Spacing
- 4 per square foot
- Frost
- Tender: frost kills it
Growing marigolds
Marigolds are easy, cheerful annuals for sun. Start them indoors or sow them outside after the last frost. They flower from early summer until frost and ask for little beyond sun and a drink in dry weather.
Dates by hardiness zone
Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.
| Zone | Start indoors | Plant out | In bloom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 16–30 | Jun 4–18 | Jul 4 – Sep 14 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 5–19 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Jun 23 – Sep 25 |
| Zone 4a | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jun 18 – Sep 28 |
| Zone 4b | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 15–29 | Jun 14 – Oct 1 |
| Zone 5a | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 10–24 | Jun 9 – Oct 5 |
| Zone 5b | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | May 8–22 | Jun 7 – Oct 10 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 6–20 | Jun 5 – Oct 16 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 12–26 | Apr 30 – May 14 | May 30 – Oct 17 |
| Zone 7a | Mar 5–19 | Apr 23 – May 7 | May 23 – Oct 10 |
| Zone 7b | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 12–26 | May 12 – Sep 29 |
| Zone 8a | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 5–19 | May 5 – Sep 22 |
| Zone 8b | Feb 3–17 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | Apr 23 – Sep 10 |
| Zone 9a | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 9–23 | Apr 8 – Aug 26 |
| Zone 9b | Dec 28 – Jan 11Nights are still cool before mid-February, so this starts a little later. | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 17 – Aug 4 |
| Zone 10a | Dec 28 – Jan 11 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 17 – Aug 4 |
| Zones 10b–11b | Frost is rare here, so marigolds can go in from late winter, and again in late summer for a fall crop. | ||
Questions about marigolds
Why plant marigolds with vegetables?
They bring hoverflies and other helpful insects, and a thick planting of French marigolds can reduce some root nematodes in the soil. They also brighten a vegetable bed.
French or African marigolds?
French marigolds are compact and suit the edges of vegetable beds; African marigolds grow tall with big, round flowers for the back of a border.
