my marigold problem

I think I have mentioned my marigold problem before, but today I would like to elaborate. 

The books on companion planting and natural pest deterrents suggest planting marigolds alongside certain veggies. When I started from seed the last week of April, I bought some marigold seeds for this reason.

They started out innocently enough. 

But then they just kept growing!

It was around this stage that I started wondering why they weren't flowering. They had two successful months growing and seemed an appropriate height to earn some buds....

But they just kept growing!!! So, I finally checked the seed package. Apparently, the marigolds you see in most gardens are the miniature variety and, apparently, I unknowingly went big then brought them home. My marigolds are to grow to 24" average height. 

This last week or two I have learned the affects of not reading the package. Things are starting to crowd and not work out the way I planned.

Example 1:

Flashback a few weeks ago, I originally wanted the lower portion of my herb planter to have a row of marigolds. You know, to keep the bunnies away. So I planted a few. Six or so along the bottom rim. And they did what my marigolds do, grew and grew...

Last week I realized that if that marigold between the tomato and kale is as big as it is... and still growing... These little guys in the blue pot will soon be towering over the top shelf sage and outright consuming the middle row basil. 

Today I pulled all of the marigold out of the herb planter and dropped them into  the dirt next to it. Today, I also had to do something about this guy. 

The tiny seed in the tiny blue pot is now two feet tall. She is root bound and the pot dries out minutes after a watering. I dropped her into the soil with the others and hope that her transplant shock won't slow down her flowering.

I'm not kidding these things are getting huge. The difference in sizes are due to some starting from seed indoors in April and others starting from seed outdoors when we planted at the end of May.

SERIOUSLY!! See the terracotta pot in the middle? That's all marigold.

And lucky for us, some of them are getting their first buds... 

... or as I am affectionately beginning to call them... My little monsters.