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How Planting Marigolds Can Benefit Your Garden
By SANDY BAKER
Marigolds are beautiful flowers that create a welcoming, brightly colored space in your yard. In addition to being edible and aesthetically pleasing, they also have many benefits.
Since they are working plants, marigolds can help to protect and support the growth of just about every vegetable and even the fruit on nearby trees.
The roots of marigolds release a chemical into the ground that repels pests that are typically problematic for gardens, such as cabbage worms and mosquitos.
The smell of marigolds discourages some bigger critters, such as deer and squirrels, from eating your plants, and they can deter rabbits from eating your lettuce and cabbage.
Marigolds bloom for weeks
at a time at the start of spring, making them an excellent way to attract pollinating bees to your garden week after week to keep your vegetables growing.
Bees and other pollinators are drawn to marigolds because they are a single-bloom plant, which makes them easier to access the interior heart of the flower where their nectar is.
Marigolds’ bright yellow, orange, and sometimes red coloring also makes them easy to find for bees. Planting them near tomatoes or squash will attract bees
to stop by for a visit.