marigold seeds

Help!!! my neighbour has given me around 2000 marigold seeds from last years plants but i dont know what to do with them

 

Save them until April/ May and sow them where you want them to grow. 2000 is a lot, they germinate very easily and will over-run your garden!

 

Germination depends a lot on how they have been stored but reasonable conditions should give 50% success. That's a lot of marigolds!

Best bet is to plant some in seed trays (about 1/4 deep, 2" apart, normal compost) and place in a sheltered spot. No need for heat as they are quite hardy. Once they get large enough to handle (2-3 pairs of true leaves) then plant out in position. Alternatively you could just scatter a few on your garden in a sunny position, rake them in below the surface and let them get on with it, thinning out to 12-15" apart when larger. Once they start to flower, remove the dead flower heads to stop them seeding and prolong the flowering. If you want to collect seeds for next year, allow a few seed heads to form and ripen near the end of the season (say September)

Birds will happily eat any spare seed left over.