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How to grow french marigolds

Frost-tender · Daisy family

When to sow and plant

  • Start indoors around 8 April
  • Plant out 6–20 May

Frost-tender: everything 17 days later, so it only goes outside once there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years.

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Planting calendar for your area
Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

  • Start indoors: 4 weeks before the last frost (Mississippi State University Extension: Marigolds (Tagetes erecta) for the Farmer Florist)
  • Plant out: 0–2 weeks after the last frost (Mississippi State University Extension: Marigolds (Tagetes erecta) for the Farmer Florist)

Good and bad neighbours

Good neighbours · 3

  • TomatoStudy· B

    In a greenhouse trial, whiteflies built up more slowly on tomatoes next to French marigolds (limonene). Other mixed partners had a similar effect.

    B: Hint from one study

    Tomato

  • White cabbageStudy· B

    In a two-year field trial in India, cabbage next to marigolds had fewer diamondback moth caterpillars.

    B: Hint from one study

    White cabbage

  • CarrotStudy· B

    In a field trial, carrots grown with French marigolds had the least carrot fly damage; yield did not drop.

    B: Hint from one study

    Carrot

Crop rotation

After the daisy family, leave the bed free of it for at least 3 years.

  • The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
  • Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2030.

At a glance

Family
Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Frost
Tender to frost
Spacing (row × plant)
30 × 30 cm (12 × 12 in)
Plants per m²
11.1
Per square foot (30 × 30 cm)
4 plants
Life cycle
Annual

Questions and answers

When can I plant out french marigolds?

Plant out, average for Germany: 6–20 May. That is the date after which there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant french marigolds?

30 × 30 cm (12 × 12 in) (row × plant), according to Mississippi State University Extension: Marigolds (Tagetes erecta) for the Farmer Florist.

What grows well next to french marigolds?

Tomato: Good neighbour (B), White cabbage: Good neighbour (B) and Carrot: Good neighbour (B).

How long a break do french marigolds need in the same bed?

After the daisy family, leave the bed free of it for at least 3 years. The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

More from the daisy family

Sources

Show 10 sources
  1. Illinois Extension, Flowers: Marigold (Tagetes sp.)
  2. Mississippi State University Extension: Marigolds (Tagetes erecta) for the Farmer Florist
  3. UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Tulare-Kings: How to Square Foot Garden
  4. Südtiroler Bauernbund: Merkblatt Fruchtfolgen im Gemüsebau (Oktober 2022)
  5. Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein: Fruchtfolge im Garten (Gartenmerkblatt, 2020)
  6. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (über die GBIF-API, species/match)
  7. RHS (Guy Barter): Three ways to use companion planting
  8. Conboy et al. 2019: Companion planting with French marigolds protects tomato plants from glasshouse whiteflies through the emission of airborne limonene. PLoS ONE 14(3): e0213071
  9. Sharma et al. 2022: Potentiality of intercropping in managing Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella). Indian J. Agric. Sci. 92(8): 1010–1014
  10. Jankowska, Jędrszczyk, Poniedziałek 2012: Effect of intercropping carrot with French marigold and pot marigold on the occurrence of some pests and quality of carrot yield. Acta Agrobotanica 65(4): 133–138 (Abstract via AGRIS)

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.