Growing Huacatay
Haucatay (otherwise known as “Nematocidal Marigold”, “Mexican Marigold”, or “Peruvian Black Mint”) is a plant that serves many purposes. At Patterson’s field in Wayland, we initially began growing it from seed in the 2021 season as a companion for our tomato plants.
As many home gardeners know, marigolds, in general, have many advantageous properties as companion plants, including attracting beneficial insects, repelling tomato hornworms, and protecting against root-knot nematodes. This particular species (Tagetes minuta) grows quite tall — on average about 7 feet, but I’ve also seen it grow higher than 10 feet in my personal community garden plot. Huacatay reseeds readily and transplants easily. In the Spring, we dig up self-seeded plants and relocate them to where we need them — usually amongst the tomatoes, where their tall stature is a good match for our large tomato plants.
In 2022, we learned that Huacatay is also a culturally important food for Latin American people who comprise the primary clientele base for our food pantry partner, La Colaborativa. It has a wonderful scent and a flavor that can be described as a combination of basil, spearmint, and citrus with hints of tarragon. It’s full of antioxidants and essential fatty acids and is used in both medicinal preparations and culinarily to flavor tea, soup, and sauces or pastes for meats, rice, and potatoes. La Colaborativa especially appreciates our harvests of this herb, which can be difficult to find fresh locally. This year we also packaged our final harvest as a dried herb that will be included in the Thanksgiving distribution.
