I want to fit calendula into my season. When do I sow it and how long until the flowers come?
2 Answers
Calendula is a cool season, winter crop in the plains and lower hills. Seed is sown or seedlings transplanted in autumn, and flowering comes through the cool winter and spring months, usually starting a couple of months after sowing, then continuing with repeated pickings over several weeks. It needs the mild winter to flower well and does not suit hot weather. It grows on well drained soils of moderate fertility. The flowers are picked when fully open and the crop yields over an extended flowering window. Because flowering depends on cool weather, get your sowing time right for your area. Confirm the exact sowing or transplanting window and variety with your KVK, since timing affects flowering strongly.
Winter crop for us. Flowers came a couple of months after sowing and kept coming for weeks. Timing the sowing for the cool months is the key.