Yellow Marigold Seeds

Yellow marigold (African marigold, Tagetes erecta) gives large, ball-shaped lemon-to-golden blooms on sturdy plants. It is one of the easiest flowers for lowland Malaysia, ideal for beginners, festive pots and vegetable-garden borders, where the flowers attract bees and hoverflies.

1. Sow about 0.5 cm deep in trays or straight into the bed.
2. Keep moist; seedlings appear in about 4–7 days.
3. Transplant or thin to 25–30 cm apart at 4–6 leaves, setting them a little deeper for sturdier stems.
4. Pinch the first tip for a bushier plant with more flowers.

Tip: in the rainy season, snip off soggy, spent heads promptly so they do not rot, and stake taller plants. In dry spells, check the undersides of leaves for spider mites.