- Pack size: 60 seeds
- Time to germination: 7 - 14 days
- When to sow: March – June
- Spacing: 50cm+
- Soil preference: Fertile well drained
- Light preference: Full sun
How to grow sunflowers from seed
A great trick to speed the germination of your sunflower seeds is to soak them overnight in room temperature water. Plant seeds 2-3cm deep in pots indoors or direct where they are to grow after the last frosts.
Pinch out the growing tips at 8 to 10 inches to encourage more flowers and a somewhat shorter plant.
Sunflowers look amazing planted in large blocks of 20 -30 plants and as the name suggests prefer full sun. Growing tall we plant one or two in the middle of a raised bed to give structure, allowing our runner beans to ramble through with the aid of some support. The large bright flowers are an excellent attractant of pollinators and planted in blocks form an effective wind break creating a warmer microclimate for the herb understory.
In the vase
Harvest sunflowers early in the day before the transpiration rate speeds up. Using clean sharp shears cut at an angle to avoid the flat stem sitting flush with the bottom of the vase and remove all leaves except the last two near the flower.
We don’t encourage the use of floral preservatives at grow sow greener. These preservatives are often made up of heavy metals, germicides and fungicides and are less that great for the environment! Rather we encourage you try the following recipe. Mix 1 tablespoon sugar with a ¼ tablespoon of bleach in 3.5 litres of water for a greener solution.