Most sunflowers you plant in the garden these days have been developed to produce stunning, long-lasting flowers…but not much in the way of seeds. A sunflower seedling just breaking through the soil. Generally, sunflower seeds are started directly in the garden. This can be handy if you have a short growing season like we do here in Vermont. To germinate, sunflower seeds need soil temperatures of at least 55 degrees F, which is much colder than tender plants like tomatoes.
Sunflower seeds can also be started indoors, which is helpful for long-season varieties. To extend the season, start sunflowers indoors about weeks early, and be sure to harden them off by taking them outside during the day in a week or two before planting. Be very careful in handling the seedling if you start them indoors.
Damaging the taproot means that your sunflower may never thrive. For best results, start them directly in the garden. After successful germination, thin sunflower plants to at least a foot apart to give them room to thrive. Sunflowers are relatively forgiving, and they are heat and drought tolerant. Ideally, they want hours of direct sunlight a day, and they love heat. They send down long taproots, so the soil should be loose at least 2 feet down.
We have shallow soils, only about a foot deep in places, so we grow them in raised beds to give them a bit more growing space. Sunflowers are also a bit sensitive to wind.
With a tall-growing stalk, high winds can break them and destroy their seed head. The stalk is resilient, but it can only take so much. Hang the flower head upside down in a bag or net to let the seeds mature and, with your fingers, rub the seeds until they fall. After harvesting, wash the seeds and spread them out on a towel to dry before eating.
Fresh seeds will last you anywhere from three to four months raw and up to five months roasted. Frozen seeds will last up to a year. In fatal shooting, some political foes take aim at Baldwin. Real Simple See more videos. Click to expand. Replay Video. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
In my experience, the seeds tend to turn black before the back of the flower turns yellow. And this is around the time birds and squirrels start to go after the seeds. So you have two options:. Leave about a foot of stem on the flower head as a sort of handle. Lots of moisture on seeds that have begun the drying process can cause them to germinate on the sunflower head or cause them to mold and rot, making them inedible. At this point, the blossoms at the tips of the seeds are not needed, and you can wipe the rest of them off.
This is best done outside, as it can make a pretty big mess. Use a piece of twine to hang the flower head up to dry in a room of your house with decent air circulation.
So I hang it up. If you want to put a bag over it to catch any seeds that fall out on their own—which is a possibility—use a mesh bag that will allow the flower to breathe and dry quickly if it rains. If you do have a mesh bag, you can also cut the head off and hang the sunflower head outside to dry in the sun, which will speed things up a bit and protect it from critters.
After the flower has completely dried, you can wipe the seeds off the flower head. Starting at the edges, simply run your hand over the seeds. They should fall out easily. Spread the seeds out in a single layer on a flat surface. Leave them for about a week, tossing them with your fingers and re-spreading them flat every few days. Once they reach that stage, you can safely store them for next year. You want them to dry, not cook!
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