Guidelines for Cultivating and Utilizing Calendula Blossoms (Including Seed Storage Ideas)
A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon calendula seeds in a gardening group online. This quaint little flower was an unexpected surprise with numerous benefits, both aesthetically and medicinally. Here's my journey with calendula and how you can grow this magical plant at home.
Scattered in a large pot, these seemingly tiny seeds transformed into towering stems exploding with vibrant orange and yellow blossoms. With minimal effort, these flowers bloomed all through the growing season, and more kept emerging. I harvested the flowers to dry at my kitchen, and by season's end, I had saved seeds for the following year.
Using the dried flowers, I created an infused oil that proved to be quite effective at soothing my little one's various rashes, from eczema to diaper rash. When the next planting season rolled around, calendula flowers perked up from the same pot, and I repeated the process again.
I expanded the plants to a sunny spot in the backyard, where they mingled with poppies and Black Eyed Susans. I cut, dried, infused, and stocked away calendula for the following year, and also saved enough to make and distribute little seed packets to friends and family.
Calendula: A Triple Threat in the Garden
Calendula has become my favorite flower to grow. Apart from its undeniable beauty, it is overflowing with medicinal properties and is a powerful, natural home remedy. This hardy plant is easy to grow from seed, self-seeds and propagates itself each year, and multiplies with ease.
How to Grow Calendula
If you've never tried growing calendula, it's time to give it a go. Start by purchasing a packet of seeds or asking a friend with an established calendula garden to save you some seeds at the end of the season. A handful of saved seeds will be more than enough to get you started for the next growing season, as each flower can produce ten to twenty seeds.
Calendula thrives in indirect sunlight and well-draining soil, but it's pretty hardy and will adapt to various conditions. Sprinkle the seeds in the spring, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil, and watch them sprout within just a few days.
Calendula can grow in containers, raised beds, or directly in the ground, making it an ideal plant for even the smallest garden spaces.
Calendula and Its Many Uses
Calendula oil infusion has proven to be a powerful asset in treating rashes, acne, and other skin irritations. Its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiseptic properties make it an outstanding addition to skincare and haircare products. Calendula is also edible and can be used to add color to food, soaps, and other body products.
How to Use Calendula at Home
Fresh or dried calendula flowers can be used to create nourishing concoctions for the skin, hair, and even for internal use. Dried flowers can be infused in oil for topical use, while fresh flowers can be infused in alcohol to create a tincture or astringent. You can also make an infused oil with fresh calendula flowers and use this as a powerful, natural rash treatment.
Gather, plant, repeat
Calendula's ease of propagation means that you'll never have to buy seeds again, and you can enjoy this wonderful plant in your garden and home year after year. By saving the seeds yourself, you'll create your very own home apothecary with this multi-purpose, healing plant.
Do you have experience growing or using calendula in your home garden? Share your tips and creations in the comments below!
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
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- In my home garden, I cultivated calendula, a flower with triple benefits for health-and-wellness, lifestyle, and fashion-and-beauty.
- The dried calendula flowers from my garden were utilized to create an infused oil that aided in soothing my family's health issues, such as my little one's eczema and diaper rash.
- As a firm believer in self-sufficiency, I saved calendula seeds annually and expanded the plants to incorporate them into various therapies-and-treatments for optimum wellness.
- Perennially blooming in my home-and-garden, calendula adds a vibrant touch to its surrounding flowers like poppies and Black Eyed Susans.
- Mens-health and womens-health both can benefit from calendula's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as its uses in nutrition, skincare, and haircare products.
- Parenting has never been easier with the help of calendula; I use the infused oil to treat my child's various skin irritations and rashes.
- Calendula's natural and edible properties make it an excellent addition to add color to food and home-made soap, extending its benefits across various aspects of life.
- By sharing the seeds and planting knowledge with friends and family, I've cultivated community connections and increased knowledge in making a healthier and sustainable lifestyle.
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