The seeds that I planted weren't calendula :(....different varieties and heights of marigolds. I think everyone must know about my "weed"! It's growing taller every day and looking less compact and less like a marigold. It's between 6"-8" tall just from the rain over nite. Once these weeds are gone, the sunshine can get to the real marigolds underneath. It will also look much more organized and less "weedy" when they start to fill in. Thanks again for your help! LC Grace.

Huh, my post from yesterday didn't seem to make it. Must be user error. ;) Anyways, no. I've never tried making tea from "regular marigolds" (Tagetes spp.). I can't imagine it to be that pleasant given the smell and taste of the fresh plant. You can ask on the Herbs forum to see if anyone else has some suggestions to offer. You may also wish to take a browse out at the Plants for a Future - Tagetes listings. I like the Plants for a Future site. It provides a wealth of plant information and some starting points for further research. FataMorgana

Agirlsgirl - It is nice to not be as tempted to buy a lot of things at the nursery anymore. Last year I bought some petunias and pansies, and a couple late summer bargains, but there wasn't much I needed. Vera - I think I have some Citrus Cocktail seeds. I may just growing one type of calendula so I can save the seeds. Let me know how it turns out so I know if they're worth trying next year. I sowed my 'Pink Surprise' really heavily and probably have only 6 or 7 seedlings. I don't know if it's just too early yet for all the seedlings to germinate or what. Mine are also from valueseeds. Bonnie - Last year, I grew some Lilliput Zinnias. They were mixed colors, but the apricot colored plants were my favorite :) I saved seeds from my standard petunia mixed color variety from last year. They're a basic variety, but were much prettier and fuller than Petunia Pink Cascade I tried as well. Linda - I had gorgeous petunias last year, and hope to have the same this year. It just seems they're growing much slower this year. I wonder if I will have any petunias reseed. My WS petunia sprouts are from seed I saved last year. I will probably plant my calendula in a pot on the front porch ... that way they're still visible, but if they putter out early, it won't be that big a deal.

There are organic pesticides used in insect control. Some are made of pyrethrins, which are in the marigold family. As to soil, I usually start with a soilless mix, which has a little perlite, and coconut husks ground up, with a little peat moss. Over watering can cause tender young plants to 'damp off', which is fungal infection at the soil and stem location. It attacks very young plants and strangles the the bases of the stems. Its usually caused by excessive watering at an early stage. I usually only water my seed starts when they show signs of slight wilting due to the soil being a little bit too dry. I also use some very mild fertilizers for starting seeds, as they need to get a good boost when they have the first set of true leaves. Plant Health Care is a powder fertilizer mixed with water, and is sold by Gardeners Supply in VT. I have seen some people use regular potting soil, or outside soil for starting seeds indoors. These all have some nasty fungus and bacteria that might harm tender seedlings, either by their roots or the stems. Also, Fungus Gnats are a damaging insect. Tiny flies that lay eggs in the soil, which turn into maggots and then they attack the roots and kill them. Sometimes young plants just die without warning. You may have these gnats, as they can fly and infest every single plant in a house, or greenhouse, as well as out in the garden.