Marigold, Crackerjack , 100 seeds

This old-time heirloom is still popular today. As a little girl I was never sure why my Mamaw always had to plant her marigolds. Now that I’m older I realize it was due to their allelopathic effect on garden pests. Marigolds are natural nematocidal, insecticidal, antiviral, and cytotoxic. Alpha-terthienyl is a very toxic naturally occurring compound produced by the roots of marigolds. Making them an excellent choice for crop rotation. They are an effective, natural way to suppress root-knot nematode and often sown in nematode impacted gardens. Marigolds can also be sown as a cover crop in mild climates two months before planting the desired crop and turned back under as a green manure.