Let’s Grow Calendula for Earth Day
A powerhouse herb with a sunny face.
To Celebrate Earth Day this year, the Napa County Seed Library and the City of Napa’s Recycling and Waste Services Division are collaborating to encourage home gardening using recyclable and regenerative materials. We hope you’ll enjoy the planting kits we created for the Earth Day Napa event happening this coming Saturday, April 12th at the Oxbow Commons to support the Environmental Education Coalition of Napa County. The planting kits come complete with locally sourced calendula seeds, planting guidance, live examples, and compost worked into a seedling mix for a fun family activity.
The Napa County Seed Library is a non-profit organization that Lavender and I co-founded in 2020 to promote seed saving and sharing where we live. The seed library operates as a network of eight annexes located throughout Napa County. When you borrow seeds from the library, you agree to do your best to return seeds and donate to support this renewable resource to consistently benefit our local community. Learn how to return or donate seeds.
Although Lavender and I won’t be there to share in the fun that day, we know you’ll be in great hands with the folks at the Napa Recycling booth. We especially thank Jenaye (our neighbor) and Berfin (our long-time friend) for reaching out to us to participate.
About Calendula
Calendula is an herb (also known as pot marigold) that is easy to grow from seed. It is an ideal plant to grow with kids, in containers or raised beds, or along borders (don’t plant the kids though). 😉
Napa County’s climate allows this annual plant to persist year-round as a perennial. Calendula grows to about 12 inches tall and 8 inches wide. It bears thick, spoon-handle-shaped, green leaves and bright-orange, daisy-like flowers. Calendula is best planted in spring and blooms until summertime.
Calendula are easy to identify but can be confused with the popular common marigold of the Tagetes species (the ones that are great at keeping pests out of the garden). The two belong to the same plant family: Asteraceae. Be sure you have the right one before using its flower petals for eating or making medicine. This chart by Unruly Gardening compares their differences.
Growing Calendula from Seed
Calendula are super easy to grow from seed. Plant seeds 1/2 in deep from March through May in well-draining, loose soil. You can plant them in a pot, a raised bed, or in a 6-cell tray. Planting directly into native soil is easiest: plant seeds 6-12 inches apart or scatter seeds and thin the seedlings to 8 inches apart when they reach 2 inches tall or are strong enough to handle. Plant seeds (or transplant seedlings) in an area with full sun to partial shade. Calendula grows 10 to 12 inches tall and bears bright orange flowers, which are edible, medicinal, and used for yellow fabric dye.
Saving Calendula Seed
Because Calendula easily re-seeds in the garden, it’s one of the easiest and most commonly saved seeds. Saving calendula seeds with children offers wonder and success. Calendula seeds are unique: curly and comma-shaped with short barbs along their curves! It’s one of my favorites because of its unusual appearance. As flowers mature, the petals dry out and wither to faded stringy threads, exposing green seeds developing underneath.
As these immature seeds turn to a tan color and become dry and stiff, you’ll notice that a few will begin to fall off of the flower head. Harvest the flower heads at this stage and store them in a paper bag so the seeds can continue to fully dry. As they do, some will fall into the bottom of the bag. After about 2 weeks, you’ll enjoy removing the seeds from the heads by cupping your hand under the flower head and tickling the seeds off with your thumb! In the video below, I share about the wonders of calendula, its uses, and how to save its seed.
Storing Calendula Seed
Transfer the fully dried seeds into an envelope, jar, or other dry, sealed container and label it with your name, the harvest year, the seed type (flower), common name (Calendula or pot marigold) and the scientific name (Calendula officianalis).
For long-term storage, store the seeds in a cool, dark, dry area away from direct sunlight and moisture. You can keep the seeds in a closet, pantry, refrigerator, or freezer. When stored properly calendula seeds will remain viable for 6 years (possibly more). Be sure to return some of the seeds to the seed library, and share them with your neighbors, family, and friends!
An Herb with Multiple Uses
Calendula flowers have multiple uses and benefits. Flower petals are edible when fresh; when dried and steeped for tea or infused in oil, these same petals aid digestion and heal the skin. They also impart rich yellow hues to fabric as a plant dye.
As an Edible Herb
The bright, sunny petals of fresh Calendula flowers smell tropical, taste a bit citrus-y and have a chewy texture. It’s an eye-appealing addition sprinkled on salads or as a substitute for saffron, added to soups, rice, or omelettes — the rich yellow hues intensify the color of a warm dish. Get creative! This herb is versatile and delicious, and a little goes a long way.
As a Medicinal Herb
The same edible petals of the Calendula blossom, when dried, are excellent steeped in water for tea to aid digestion. When immersed in oils that lubricate the skin (e.g., sweet almond, jojoba, coconut), its properties are a cure-all for skin complaints like rashes, stings, sunburn, scars, and minor scrapes. Calendula-infused oils can be made into a salve for skin care on-the-go. A couple of years ago, my friend Jennifer taught me her secret to soaking dried calendula petals in coconut oil. Her skincare products are the BEST! (And now I know how to make my own.)
As a Yellow Dye for Fabric
Here’s another creative and beneficial use for calendula. You can use the dried petals to make a yellow fabric dye. Now I haven’t tried this, and there are other plants more commonly used to make yellow dyes, but calendula makes the short list! If this idea inspires you, learn more from Fiber Artsy and A Farm to Keep.
I enjoyed bringing you the wonders of a pretty and powerful herb you never knew you needed today! Happy Earth Day (almost), seed calendula liberally this season, and remember to celebrate all year. 🏵️
Thanks for sharing all of your wisdom and passion!
Thank you for the restack and Happy Spring! 🏵️🧡