What Is The Best Way To Plant Sunflower Seeds?

Sunflowers grow fairly quickly for a plant of their size. While it can vary depending on the soil and environment, sunflowers take from 70 to 90 days to fully mature. Naturally, the larger flowered varieties take longer to fully bloom than smaller species. To make the most out of your bloom, planting your sunflower seeds at the right time is key. When planting sunflower seeds, it is advised to sow the seeds from early March to mid-May. To get ahead of the season you can begin planting your sunflowers indoors around three weeks before the last frost date.

Everyone who shares a love for things that grow has a soft spot for growing sunflowers. From the avid gardener to the growing family, planting sunflower seeds and watching them grow is a project that can be enjoyed by us all. 

Sunflowers are one of the biggest and arguably most beautiful flowers found in our gardens. First discovered around 3,000 BC, sunflowers were once a source of food for American Indian tribes and have been harvested for the oil and nutrient-rich seeds to be used in bread baking for hundreds of years. Now, these huge, vibrant flowers are appreciated and grown in gardens around the world.

Each spring, UK seed sellers and garden centres are filled with more sunflower seeds than you could ever need. While the access to sunflower seeds never seems to be an issue, it can sometimes be difficult to get the best possible bloom out of your seed mixture. How should you prepare your soil? How often should you water your sowed sunflower seeds? How can you care for a sunflower? All questions you may need answering before you plant.

About Sunflowers

No garden flower is as commonly enjoyed by as many as the sunflower. With beautiful, golden petals and their breathtaking size, they bring joy and a vibrant splash of colour to the everyday garden. They’re also very easy to grow and make an excellent flower for children to take care of.

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant that has an infamous and undeniably large daisy-like flower face. Originally from North America, Sunflowers have been cultivated for over 4,500 years and are as useful as they are beautiful. Did you know that the sunflower plant is edible? The plant’s leaves, stalks, and even roots can all be used as a food source.

While the widely adopted image of the sunflower is the large, dark seed centre encircled with golden-yellow petals, the flowers actually come in an array of different colours. The common sunflower is yellow but other colours include red, orange, maroon and even a golden-brown. Sunflowers are also heliotropic, which means that they are able to turn their flowers to follow the movement of the Sun.

“Sunflowers are related to Jerusalem artichokes, Helianthus tuberosus. If you plant Jerusalem artichokes and let them flower, they will bear beautiful, sunflower-like blooms.” Gardenersworld.com

How to grow sunflowers

Once you’ve purchased your perfect pack of sunflower seeds from your trusted UK seed seller, you need to choose a sunny spot to sow your seeds. Sunflowers grow best when they have been planted in plots that allow for direct sunlight. Sunflowers need a blast of around 6 to 8 hours of sun per day and crave long, hot summers to flower well.

As well as having spectacularly large flower faces, these plants are also famous for their impressive heights. When planting your sunflower seeds, it is best to do so in a place where their  tall stalks can be tied - think of a fence or a trellis. To support and feed these giant plants, sunflower roots grow deep and wide. Large flowers need good and frequent nutrition so turn the soil well before planting and make sure to add plenty of compost.

Sunflowers aren’t picky when it comes to the soil that they are planted in and while they do tend to thrive in slightly acidic to somewhat alkaline soil (pH 6.0 to 7.5). As long as the soil is nutrient-rich with organic matter and isn’t too compact, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Since sunflowers don’t tend to like their roots being disturbed, it is best to sow sunflower seeds directly into the garden once the spring frost has passed. However, if you do decide to start your planting indoors, a great place to start is with a peat pot or paper cup. Simply stick to two seeds per pot and just cover them with soil. This way you are able to thin out the weaker seedling before transplanting to your garden. As long as you keep the pots in a lot of sunlight and water well, you should see your seedlings push through the soil within a week or two.

How to care for sunflowers

Planting sunflowers is an easy and enjoyable way to add a beautiful burst of colour to your garden, but this does come with a small risk. Sunflowers, more specifically their seeds, are a favourite treat for animals such as birds, squirrels, and mice. To ensure that your seeds aren’t dug up immediately after planting then it is recommended to cover your sown seeds with pieces of fence or clear plastic bottles with the bottoms cut off. To protect the plant from smaller garden thieves, it may help to put snail or slug bait around the stem.

Annual sunflowers need plenty of water and seedlings need to be watered around the root zone, about 3 to 4 inches from the plant. Very tall sunflower species may need the additional support of a garden cane – especially when growing in an exposed position. If you are unsure of the exact requirements of your seeds or you don’t know which seed variety would suit your garden best, a UK seed seller such as Smart Seeds is always available to help.