Ball's Orange Calendula Seeds – kviterseeds.com
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Ball's Orange Calendula Seeds – kviterseeds.com
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Ball's Orange Calendula Seeds

Calendula Officinalis
$6.99
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About

Ball's Orange Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) is a cool-season annual from southern Europe and the Mediterranean, grown half as ornament and half as herb. Ball's Orange is the variety most experienced growers reach for when they want deep, saturated color with fully double blooms.  The variety is compact - 18–24 inch, and keeps coming from late spring until the first real frost. It runs as an annual across USDA Zones 2–11, but in zone 9 and warmer it reseeds so reliably that you only really plant it once. The petals can be used fresh in salads, dry for tea, or steep into oil for skin balms. In a vegetable patch it earns its space by pulling in beneficial insects, and lowers aphid pressure on tomatoes and brassicas planted nearby.

Quick Facts

Life Cycle
Life Cycle Annual
USDA Zones
USDA Zones 03–10
Light Requirements
Light Requirements Full sun; Part sun
Germination Time
Germination Time 5-10 days
Stratification
Stratification Not required
Spacing
Spacing 10-15 inches
Sowing Method
Sowing Method Direct Sow; Start Indoors
Soil
Soil Average; Well-drained; Poor
Flowering Period
Flowering Period Summer; Fall
Water Requirements
Water Requirements Occasional
Maturity Time
Maturity Time 45-60 days
Growing Habit
Growing Habit Bushy

How to Grow & Harvest

Sowing & Timing

Direct sow Calendula Balls Orange seeds about two weeks before your last frost date, or start them indoors 6–8 weeks earlier if you want flowers in May. They need darkness to germinate, so plant calendula seeds 1/4 inch deep and cover them properly. Keep the soil around 60–70°F and lightly moist, and seedlings appear in 7–14 days. For continuous bloom from June through October, sow a fresh row every 3–4 weeks until midsummer.

Soil, Watering & Fertilization

Ball's Orange Calendula needs full sun (at least 6 hours daily) to grow dense and bloom heavily, though some afternoon shade actually helps in zone 8 and hotter. The plant grows in almost any soil, but you'll see noticeably bigger plants and richer color in well-drained ground with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 and a few inches of compost worked in at planting. Water deeply once a week and let the top inch dry out between waterings. 

Growth & Harvest

Deadhead spent flowers every few days or the plant stops blooming. Pinch the growing tips once the seedlings hit 6 inches to push them into a bushier shape with more flowering stems. Pick blooms in the morning once the dew has dried, take the whole head, and lay them on a screen in a warm shaded room for 5–7 days. Properly dried petals hold their color and potency for about a year in a sealed glass jar.

FAQ

Are these calendula seeds non-GMO?

Yes. KVITER Ball's Orange Calendula seeds for sale are an open-pollinated heirloom variety, and every packet we list online at KVITER is non-GMO, untreated, and uncoated.

Is Balls Orange Calendula low-maintenance enough for a beginner?

Yes, it is honestly one of the easiest flowers to grow from seed. It tolerates poor soil, ignores most pests, and germinates without any fuss from a direct outdoor sowing — no grow lights, no heat mat, no transplanting required.

Can I grow it in a container?

Yes, pots at least 8–10 inches deep with drainage holes work well. Use a decent potting mix, water when the top inch dries out, and feed Balls Orange Calendula flower once a month with a balanced liquid fertilizer, since container plants run out of nutrients much faster than ones in the ground.

What pairs well with calendula in the garden?

Tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, beans, and most herbs benefit from having calendula nearby because it draws hoverflies and parasitic wasps that hunt aphids and small caterpillars. Visually it pairs well with cosmos, zinnia, dill, and basil — orange and feathery green tends to work in any cottage-style border.

What do people actually use the petals for?

Fresh petals add color and a faint peppery note to salads, rice, herb butter, and infused vinegars. Dried petals are the basis of calendula tea and the active ingredient in skin balms, infused oils, and creams used for minor cuts, dry skin, and irritation — which is the real reason most gardeners buy Balls Orange Calendula seeds.