Calendula is an annual medicinal herb, long valued for its traditional uses. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 11 and stands up to deer. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Calendula — the short answer
Calendula: grown in zones 2–11, full sun, pH 4.5–8.3, about 55 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 2–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.5–8.3
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 55 days
- UMD-Herb; Johnny's
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Calendula on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether calendula actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score calendula against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
See Calendula
What Calendula is
Calendula grows as an annual and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms orange in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Calendula
Calendula grows in USDA zones 2 through 11 and is ready to harvest about 55 days after planting. Calendula does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground. It needs around 900 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 120 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
2-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8.3
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
46.4°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
55 days
Calendula / pot marigold; annual edible flower; cool-season. Companion plant.
UMD-Herb; Johnny's
GDD Required
900+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
2 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
120+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant calendula in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Calendula prefers pH 4.5 to 8.3 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Harvest the part you grow calendula for — flower, leaf, or root — at its seasonal peak.
Where Calendula thrives
On hardiness alone, calendula grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 2 through 11) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 2–11 spans average winter lows from -50°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 48 outright and splits 3 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 2–11·Where Calendula growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
Where Calendula stands, state by state
Calendula is rated for zones 2–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 48 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 2–11
48 states
3 of 48 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Calendula
Growing guides for calendula
In rotation planning, calendula counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — calendula isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Calendula offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Before you harvest calendula, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant calendula for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Calendula's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Calendula will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether calendula actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Calendula
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Calendula in my zone?
Calendula grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Calendula take to grow?
Calendula is ready to harvest about 55 days after planting (UMD-Herb; Johnny's). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Calendula?
Most growers plant calendula after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 120-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Calendula need?
Calendula needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Calendula need?
Calendula prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Calendula attract pollinators?
Yes — calendula's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Calendula safe for pets?
Calendula is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)