Planting Calendula Seeds

Growing Calendula flowers is incredibly enjoyable! These edible flowers are a perfect choice to have in your home garden during the growing season, especially with kids around, as they are safe. Calendula plants are also easy to grow and add a beautiful splash of orange to your vegetable garden.

How to Grow Calendula Seeds

I bought organic Calendula seeds from an online store and started growing them a couple of years ago. The best time to sow calendula seeds is in early spring, but you can also plant them in autumn for the following spring’s growth. The seeds have a funny appearance and are easy to recognize. Involving kids in the planting process can be fun for them—they can help make furrows in the soil and plant calendula seeds, giving them a sense of accomplishment when the flowers bloom.

I will add though, that late spring is also a great time to sow the seeds – or even during early summer. You will eventually get to see those orange blooms in your garden! 

Steps for Sowing and Growing Calendula

1. Direct Sowing in Your Garden: Once the danger of frost is over, prepare garden beds with rich soil. Choose a sunny spot with good drainage for planting the seeds.
2. Sow the Seeds: Pour a few seeds into your hand and plant them about 10-15 cm apart. Cover the seeds lightly with soil and water thoroughly, but avoid washing the seeds away.
3. Using Fiber Cloth: Cover the soil with fiber cloth for the best results. This helps the seeds grow faster and protects the new plants from pests.
4. Watering: Water daily, especially in hot weather. Calendula plants are resilient and can survive a few days without water once fully grown. Well-drained soil helps the plants thrive.
5. Fertilizing: When the young plants are about 10 cm high, fertilize them with fresh grass clippings. Clear the beds of weeds before placing the grass clippings around the plants.
6. Blooming and Harvesting: After a few weeks, the calendula will bloom. Harvest the flowers by cutting them at the top or pinching them off. The more you pick, the more they will grow, continuing until light frosts arrive. Cool weather does not bother the calendula flowers, and you can enjoy them during the autumn too (which is awesome!).

Calendula seedlings thrive in full sun but also grow well in partial shade. Direct sunlight is preferable, as it helps the plants grow straighter and sturdier.

Calendula as a Companion Plant

Calendula flowers need little attention and are perfect companions for your vegetables or other plants. Organizing your garden with different sections for various types of cultivation can be fun and rewarding. I have dedicated areas for herb gardens and calendula flowers, though I also grow other herbs elsewhere. When the calendula blooms, it makes a beautiful addition to the vegetable plants!

You could also have different flower beds, where you separate flowers from food plants. Either way, make it a fun and enjoyable process to organize and plant your vegetables and flowers in your home garden. Something to keep in mind though when organizing the plants, is that some plants automatically fertilizes the soil, as beans and also calendula. Therefore, try to alternate from year to year where you plant these plants.

Self-Sowing

Calendula resows itself easily. If you let the plants stay in place, they will eventually develop seeds that fall to the ground and resow. These seeds are easy to recognize, and children can help collect them for future use. I store seeds in labeled paper pockets in my kitchen, and me and my son made several paper pockets last year with home grown seeds. It is such a joy to have them with my sons handwriting on it! We write the date and the name of the seeds on the paper pockets.

Challenges and Learning

Some dried seeds from previous season did not sprout, but others, like the Balls Orange variety, did sprout and grow successfully. I do not know why some did not sprout, but I hope I will understand that some day. Gardening always involves learning and adapting, making it a fulfilling activity, especially in a homeschooling environment where continuous learning is valued. It always feels a little discouraging when the seeds don’t come up and only weeds appear in the garden beds.

Varieties Grown

This summer, I grew two types of calendula flowers. Both of them are annual flowers:

• Calendula Officinalis: An annual variety
• Balls Orange: Another annual variety

Using Calendula Flowers

Calendula flowers can be used in several ways:

• Eating: Although edible, I prefer using them to make calendula cream or oil.
• Indoor Decoration: Enjoy the flowers indoors by placing them in vases. If you have lots of flowers and are not planning on using them for medicinal uses etc. you can and should enjoy them indoors too! I love flowers on the table!
• Calendula Salve: Use dried flowers to make a soothing salve. You will need 50-60 dried flower heads to fill a glass jar, depending on the size of the jar. This is then infused with oil to make calendula salve. Read further to learn how!
• Massage Oil: Infuse oil with calendula flowers to make calendula oil.
• Food Decoration: Add beauty to salads or cakes. For my sons birthday party I made a cake and we decorated it with strawberries and calendula flowers. It was so beautiful!
• Calendula Tea: Brew for a flavorful tea.
• Lip Balm: Create nourishing lip balm.

Below I will share with you how to make calendula salve. The pictures are not made according to the description though. If you want to learn how to use the calendula flowers to make massage oil, calendula tea or lip balm, search on YouTube or Google it. The web traffic will lead you to the right place, and I know that there is a lot of good information out there already!

How to Make Calendula Salve

First you need to pick enough calendula flowers and dry them. I pick a little now and then and dry them on a grid or on a large plate with a napkin underneath. I like to experiment ant try out different drying methods to see what works best. The thing is, you will need a lot of space to dry all the calendula flowers (you will also need a kid free space, where the toddler cannot reach them, haha!). That is where I struggle–we do not have a lot of space for drying the calendula. Therefore, I have a corner in my kitchen where I dry all my calendula flowers. You can also tie them together in a row and hang them up, and that way you have room for many more flowers.

When you make calendula salve, you can either use the entire flower head or only the dried petals. If you want to use only dried petals, you can remove the calendula petals from the flower head and dry only the petals. I prefer drying the entire flower head, since it is easier, safes me time, and also, will give me more health benefits when I make the salve. 

Calendula salve is excellent for skin irritations, and I have received positive feedback when gifting it. It’s also very satisfying to know exactly what I’m putting on my and my kids’ skin. With that being said, I hope that you will enjoy making calendula salve. Below is the description on how to make calendula salve.

Calendula Salve:

• 2 cups dried calendula flowers
• 2,5 cups carrier oil (such as olive oil or almond oil).
• 2 ounces beeswax (approximately 4 tablespoons of beeswax pellets or grated beeswax)
• Optional: 10 drops of essential oil (such as lavender or tea tree oil for additional soothing properties)
• Optional: 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (acts as a preservative and is great for the skin).

Equipment: Jars for storage, wooden spoon, double boiler or a heat-proof bowl and a pot, and a fine-mesh strainer.

Making the Calendula-Infused Oil

• Place the dried calendula flowers in a clean, dry glass jar.
• Pour the carrier oil over the flowers until they are completely submerged.
• Seal the jar tightly and place it in a dark place for 4-6 weeks, shaking it gently every few days.
• After 4-6 weeks, strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the flowers.

Making the Salve

• Melt the beeswax by placing the strained calendula-infused oil and beeswax in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir occacionally until the beeswax is completely melted and combined with the oil.
• Once the beeswax is melted, remove the mixture from the heat. If desired, add the essential oils and vitamin E oil. Stir well to combine.
• Pour the hot mixture into small jars or tins.
• Let it cool and solidify completely before sealing the the containers with lids.

Store the calendula salve in a cool, dark place. It should last for up to a year.

(PS. I have not tried this recipe yet. I used a different recipe when I took these photos, where I also added shea butter. Let me know how it went, if you try this recipe!)

Tips: Ensure all equipment is clean and dry to prevent contamination. Adjust the amount beeswax to achieve your desired consistency (more beeswax for a firmer salve, less for a softer salve).