Sunflowers

I started with a 12" Sunflower from Al's Garden Center. Some consider Sunflower's a flower, others consider it a vegetable. Technically, it can be considered both because it is a flower that holds a great seed, full of protein and great for snacking. Sunflowers are basically seperated into three sizes, Giants which grow to over 10 feet, Regulars which grow from 6 - 10 feet and Miniatures which grow from 2 - 4 feet. (right) My miniature Sunflower on June 30, 2008. Minis are great for container gardening but not for seed harvest. (below) My miniature Sunflower on July 4th, 2009, this was its first bloom.

Growing Tips: Sunflowers prefer full sun and if grown in containers, the container should be deep and wide. Sunflowers need to grow their roots deep and wide to enable them to withstand winds and hold up their weight, especially the giant varieties. See 'Seeding' for spacing.

Placement: Sunflower blooms will always point their bloom faces to the rising sun in the East, keep this in mind when choosing a location for your Sunflowers.

Pests: Birds and Squirrels will start eating the Sunflower seeds before the seeds are completely ripe. To protect your plant, cover with a nylon stalking or netting.

Harvesting: Sunflowers mature in 70 - 90 days depending on the variety. Harvest seeds when the flower begins to die back and most the petals have fallen off. Cut off the flower head, leaving a few inches of the stalk, hang the stalks to dry in a well ventilated area. Do not stack to dry, this encourages mold. Once the flowers have dried, rub two flower heads together to extract the seeds which should release quite easily.

Seeding: Sunflower seeds are best grown outdoors directly into the garden however, after planting, cover the seeds with a screen because birds and animals often will dig these delicious seeds up. Based on the variety of Sunflower you are growing, spacing requirements change, see below.

• Giants: Space 3' feet apart in rows 3' - 4' apart.
• Regular: Space 2' feet apart in rows 3' apart

• Miniatures: Space 1' foot apart in rows 3' apart.