You may need to stake some of the taller varieties. Open the bag and feel the flower head for dryness. Meanwhile, unroasted sunflower seeds can last for up to 2 to 3 months when stored in the pantry. Transplant - Sow into 72 to 50-cell flats 2-3 weeks prior to planting out. All black seeds have more bird food nutritional value. This can be handy if you have a short growing season like we do in here in Vermont. Lack of collectable seed: Some plants are sterile and cannot set seed. If you are harvesting your seeds to save for future generations of sunflowers then the seeds you want to concentrate on collecting are the larger ones from around the edge. Sunflowers. Plants dislike root disturbance, but sowing indoors and then transplanting the first crop outdoors can be a successful way to get first-early sunflowers. This post contains affiliate links: I am grateful to be able to bring you content free of charge. If you are growing an heirloom type, save seeds from the largest several plants, and plant the largest seeds (with the most life-sustaining endosperm) next season to increase your giant sunflower growing success. Sunflowers are annuals (meaning they complete their lifecycle in a year), and will not come back every year on their own, but you can easily save their seeds for planting next season. You can let the seeds ripen and dry on the plant in the open air. When the seeds are ripe, they will fall off but will stay in the cover. Annuals are the easiest because they’re the most prolific at producing seeds, but perennials and biennials are entirely possible. However, some plants aren’t worth gathering seed from because they reproduce much faster by division. This can take from one to five days. If you are growing heirloom sunflowers, save the seed from this year’s largest sunflowers to plant in next years garden. In this way, you will improve each generation by selecting the largest and most vigorous flowers to … If the sunflowers aren't ready yet, tie the stalks with twine. Don’t forget to label your seeds with the crop type, variety name, and any useful notes about your seed source, when you harvested the seeds, and how many plants you … Sunflower, Del Sol Hybrid. The sunflowers we grow are an oil-based crop and fine fibers (dust) from sunflower seeds pose a constant fire hazard during harvest. Sunflower, Del Sol Hybrid. Or when all fear of frost has gone, plant seeds straight into a well prepared, sunny growing site. I don’t fool with bee balm Monarda didyma), day­lilies (Hemerocallis cvs. Sow seeds in pots from April and plant out when all risk of frost has passed. When storing sunflower seeds for replanting, don’t forget to properly label them not only with the specific variety of seeds they grew, but also the date they were harvested. When we are seed-saving flowers for personal use, I don’t mind if some extra fluff comes along with seeds. Growing sunflowers is easy and inexpensive and, as most bird-lovers know, sunflower seeds make great bird food. Congratulations on your wedding plans! More on growing sunflowers: How to grow sunflowers from seed Save Sunflower Seeds To Plant The Following Spring. Dwarf sunflower varieties, which can be grown in pots or windy areas, are also available. Sunflowers thrive best during long, hot summers. The covering also helps protect the seeds from wildlife. In order to do this, please note that when you click links and purchase items; in most cases I will receive a very small referral commission at no added cost you. Where I live, in southern Ontario, this is usually in late September to mid-October. Yet if we’re planning to seed swap or give them away as a gift, it is nice to store the seeds as “clean” as possible. Harvesting sunflowers is easy, but deciding when to harvest sunflowers can give some gardeners pause. Question: Why did some sunflowers from the same package of sunflower seeds produce all black seeds, with only a few black and white? Harvest the flower head when it looks completely dead. After collecting the seeds, you can eat them right away, roast them with a little salt, or save some to plant for next season. Shake it vigorously. With a bit of planning and some care while your sunflowers are ripening, you can easily harvest dozens of sunflower heads bulging with seeds that backyard birds will appreciate. So, let’s start with growing them indoors. If you don't have any around the house try Goodwill or Salvation Army stores, or even the local dollar store. Here are some tips from growing sunflowers. Brush your fingers lightly over a few of the seeds in the head. Here’s what to do… How to Grow Teddy Bear Sunflower Seeds in Pots Inside. Personally, I tend to leave them up as natural bird feeders. Sometimes the hybrid either creates sterile offspring or doesn’t produce seeds at all. Sunflowers are tall plants which can grow up to 3 metres in height. Keep your sunflowers well watered and feed weekly to encourage them to grow tall. Tomato seeds and beans can be left for many years in adequate storage conditions, while onion and carrot seeds are notoriously short lived. Sunflowers make excellent cut flowers but with just a few easy tips you can learn how to dry sunflowers. Surprisingly, it’s not so that humans can roast and eat the seeds – although I would highly recommend it. You’ll hear loose seeds rattling around inside the bag. Alternatively, you can dry sunflower seeds for eating or the petals for decorating. As best you can, sort out the chaff from the seed. Answer: My guess is that a few black seeds had been inside your package. 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