GardenAnnual Herb · 18 varieties
Calendula
Calendula officinalis
Asteraceae — the same plant family as head lettuce, leaf lettuce, common sunflower, purple coneflower and 12 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is an annual herb. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. It matures in about 45–60 days from sowing, or 40–50 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for aphids and powdery mildew. Below: its full sourced profile from 6 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–7
- Soil texture
- Clay, Loam, Sandy, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Hardy
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and a heat limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 0.7–2 ft
- Mature spread
- 1–2 ft
- Growth rate
- Fastest
- Spacing in row
- 8–12 in
- Between rows
- 12–18 inest
- Planting depth
- 0.25–0.5 in
- Container size
- 1–2 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Direct sow, Transplant
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1–1.5 in/wk
- Critical water
- Floweringest
- Feeding
- Low
Timing & fruiting
- Days to maturity
- 45–60 days from seed · 40–50 days from transplantest
- Harvest cues
- First flowers
- Survives in the ground down to
- 25 °F
Planted again for autumn
- Set plants out by
- mid Sep typical · zone 6b
40 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.
Edible parts per source: flower, leaf.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the flower and leaf; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PetsNon toxic to cats, Non toxic to dogs
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
| Variety | Type | Habit | Days | Color | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Mounding | 50–55 | Orange | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · happy in a pot · the flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies | |
| Bon Bon Mix | Double | Dwarf | 91–98 | Bicolor | P.A.S.E. Seeds describes this ashappy in a pot |
| Fiesta Gitana Heirloom | Double | Dwarf | 60–70 | Yellow, Orange | True Leaf Market describes this asthe flowers are edible |
| Flashback Mix | Mounding | 50–55 | Bicolor | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · the flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies · happy in a pot · extra rows of petals | |
| Greenheart Orange | Double | Mounding | 60 | Orange, Green | Floret Flowers describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · the flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies · happy in a pot |
| Indian Prince | Bush | 50–60 | Bicolor | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · rabbits usually leave it alone · the flowers are edible | |
| Ivory Princess | Mounding | 50–55 | White | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · happy in a pot · the flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies · extra rows of petals · deer usually leave it alone | |
| Kablouna Mix | Crested | Mounding | 60 | Bicolor | John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies · deer usually leave it alone |
| Neon | Double | Mounding | 40–50 | Bicolor | Premier Seeds Direct describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · happy in a pot |
| Oopsy Daisy | Compact | 40–50 | Bicolor | Botanical Interests describes this asdraws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · gets by on less water · deer usually leave it alone | |
| Orange King | Double | Mounding | 40–50 | Orange | Outside Pride describes this asgets by on less water · deer usually leave it alone · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · good for cutting and putting in a vase · happy in a pot |
| Pacific Apricot Beauty | Double | Mounding | 50–55 | Bicolor | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · happy in a pot · the flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies |
| Pacific Beauty Mix | Double | Mounding | 80–95 | Bicolor | John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · the flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies · deer usually leave it alone |
| Radio Heirloom | Mounding | 84 | Orange | Select Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · smells good · draws bees and butterflies · takes the heat · gets by on less water · deer usually leave it alone | |
| Resina | Single | Mounding | 55–65 | Yellow, Orange | Fruition Seeds describes this asgets by on less water · the flowers are edible |
| Sunset Buff | Mounding | 40–50 | Bicolor | Sarah Raven describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · draws bees and butterflies · happy in a pot | |
| Touch of Red Mix | Bush | 50–60 | Bicolor | Pinetree Garden Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · the flowers are edible · draws bees and butterflies | |
| Zeolights | Mounding | 60 | Bicolor | Fedco Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · good for cutting and putting in a vase · draws bees and butterflies |
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- NC State Extension
- University of New Hampshire Extension
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
- Utah State University Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 14 of the 20 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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