Rhino, I would prefer to grow them from seed but I don't have a setup with special lights. Thanks for the information. I'll check to see if I can grow them via winter sowing.

z5 is half the US ... where are you with a bit more specificity ... big city name ...

in my z5 MI ... i might consider starting some.. in mid march or so ... getting them sprouted.. and maybe an inch or two big... before transplant outside ...might get you flowers a few weeks earlier than seeding in the cold ground .. [you would need proper hardening off both to temps and sun...]

but for sure.. i would NOT start seed in early winter.. and try to grow this FULL SUN plant.. indoors.. in winter.. you most likely just wont end up with good stock to move outdoors ...

ken

Ken, I think by ‘winter sowing’ the OP means sowing outdoors, not inside. Not sure it would work given that Tagetes are not native to cold winter areas.

There is a Winter Sowing forum here on Houzz.

They use things like gallon plastic jugs to make little "micro greenhouses".

I use plastic milk jugs to winter sow seeds. I just wasn't sure if you could do this with marigolds.

the post started with a plea for recommendations .... i did not look up to find out if the suggestion of mexican marigold is winter hardy for OP ... or seed hardy over winter ...

it is questionable if you can winter sow a plant that is considered a tender annual ... IN HER LOCATION ... for me in MI ... Ms do not reseed outside.. over winter.. easily .... hence i asked for a more precise location within z5 ....

ANYWAY .... oops .;.. your goal for a well grown indoor plant.. is the small plant you might buy in spring .. my point .. if i had one.. lol ... was that many peeps start seed much too early.. and end up with huge.. etoliated [reaching for the sun, due to lack of light indoors] .... plant.. that will barely survive transplant outdoors ...

if you find a source of seed ... throw some in a winter sowing system ... save some to try indoors ... and a few to plant directly outdoors ...

you may as well experiment on all levels .... and find out what works for you ...

ken

Hmmm..........I have found all sorts of marigolds extremely easy to grow from seed and also very fast to germinate and flower. Just broadcast the seed directly outdoors where you wish to grow them as soon as the soil warms in spring and the danger of frost is passed. They will germinate in 4-14 days and start flowering in 6-8 weeks.

That advice will hold good for places with warm summers. To be reliable Tagetes has to be raised under glass in my climate as the soil isn’t warm enough for it to germinate outdoors until so far into the growing season they may never get to flower before it is too cold for them again. They have to be treated as summer bedding. Not hardy annuals.

Floral, your climate is not that different from mine and we also are subjct to cool summers. And slow to warm soils in spring. I have still had great success direct sowing marigolds. And mostly from seeds collected from the previous year's crop.

Hi Bella Rosa,

In keeping with Rhizo's advice to grow African Marigolds (Tagetes erecta), this is a link to a comprehensive list of African Marigold varieties at Hazzard's Seeds.

I was a bit surprised by the Eskimo variety. Hazzard's sells to commercial growers and also to home gardeners who can use a lot of seeds. Their quantity amounts make for a lower cost per seed, and they do have some "fancy" varieties. I have purchased zinnia seeds from Hazzards for some "hard to find" varieties.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

I can only say that all the sources and advice I have ever read for the U.K. say to start indoors to get good flowering plants. Sowing outdoors can’t start before May. It might work in a lucky year but it isn’t reliable.

Johnny seeds has a lovely tall lemon yellow marigold, Easy to grow from seed,

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/marigold/giant-yellow-marigold-seed-1884.html?cgid=marigold#start=1 

I have successfully winter sown signet marigolds and french marigolds, but have not tried African marigolds. I did occasionally need to cover my jugs if we had a late hard frost, but they all survived and grew well once put in my garden. I sowed the seeds in my jugs late Feb. I live in Southern Ontario, zone 5a.

I have grown Tagetes erecta 'Crackerjack' for years. Easy from seed, grows about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall.

tj

KC, did you cover the seed? I've grown lots of plants from seed, but never marigolds. I'll have to give it a try this year.

I did cover the seeds with a light sprinkle of potting mix to barely cover and then misted the top of the soil.

i'm going to try that. i don't WS until mid-Feb. thanks for the advice.

I grew Crackerjack this year and they did well. Also, I managed to get an extra plant when a branch broke off and I stuck it in the ground. Easy to root, though that plant did not get so tall as the others.

Marigolds are super-easy to start from seed, any fool can sprout them. I've sprouted inside under lights before with absolutely no trouble whatsoever, but IIRC in colder zones they can be sprouted outside in the ground after danger of frost has passed. The problem with this, even though they sprout quickly, is they won't flower until mid-summer and possibly even into August - and what's the point of growing annuals up here if you can't enjoy the show for a solid 3 months or more. You could probably sprout them 6-8 weeks before last frost date on a sunny windowsill if you don't have a light set-up.

I agree that marigolds are super easy to grown and any fool can sprout them. LOL. I just wondered if you could grow them via winter sowing.

I do them in spring via that method. Start in containers on my deck and cover with clear vented domes. Speeds up the germination and growing. Bring them in if cold at night.

I get some adventitious marigolds every spring from seeds that have fallen in the previous autumn but they usually get zapped by a late frost so I would think winter sowing would depend upon local weather patterns.

SelectSeed has a tagetes erecta that is described as "tall yellow" but doesn't give specific sizes.

According to this person, true winter sowing (left out in the very coldest of cold, all winter long) can be done with marigolds.

Rob, thanks for the info.