Ever wanted to feel like a master gardener but with bare minimum effort? Sunflowers might be the answer. These shows-offs require about as much maintenance as a pet rock, yet somehow manage to flourish and provide me with flowers, seeds, and tall stakes every year.
Planting: Because Throwing Seeds in Dirt Is Complicated
Dig a hole about an inch deep, drop in a seed, and cover it up. Congratulations, you did it! If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you could add a little compost. Water daily until they germinate and make sure they are planted in full sun – shocking, I know, given their name.
Growing: Forget about them for a couple of months.
This is the part where you perfect your ability to stare at plants while looking thoughtful. Water them when you remember, which should be at least occasionally. Mine do fine and I likely overwater them with my drip system because I’m too lazy to adjust anything just for them, and they get watered every other day. Some gardeners hand-water deeply once every 5-6 days. Trust me, these things are hard to kill, just pay them a minimal amount of attention, and if they look dry and crispy give them a drink.
Seed Saving: A fresh reminder of why squirrels are evil.
Once your sunflowers start to droop, it’s seed-saving time. Birds and squirrels will eat as many as possible, so if you’re having serious issues you can place paper bags over the tops to protect the seeds until you’re ready to harvest. The sunflower might feel ugly and unwanted at this point, so make sure to tell them they are gorgeous and you are only protecting them from harm. Self-esteem is important, you know. When they fully turn brown and crispy, snip them off and bring them inside to dry. Now you can collect the seeds by hand while contemplating if it’s worth all this trouble just to save $2.50 on a seed packet from the nursery.
Stripping the Stalks: Fun, but not that kind of fun.
Time to strip those stalks down and collect a nice little stack of blair witch garden stakes to terrify your pets and neighbors alike. Arrange in odd places in the yard for a nice haunting effect, or just toss them in with the pile of bamboo sticks and empty pots in the corner that you ignore.
🌻BONUS TIP 🌻 Sunflowers can inhibit vegetables and prevent a successful crop. Some say this is a myth, some swear it is the truth. So, believe what you will, but I would recommend planting outside of your garden beds and not mixed in with your veggies.
