sowing sunflowers in your vegetable garden or flower garden

Introduction

sunflower and sowing is very easy and ideal to grow together with children. The scientific name (Helianthus annuus) is derived from the Greek words helios ("sun") and anthos ("flower"). They can grow up to two meters high, bear impressive, long-lasting flowers and look fantastic in gardens and vegetable gardens. Although most sunflower varieties have yellow flowers, there are also rusty red, green and brown flowering forms. Some have single flowers and others are double. Whatever color or shape they are, when you see them they will make you smile. They also make an excellent cut flower. A bouquet of flowers from your own garden, isn't it wonderful. sunflower and in pots you sow from April and plant out when the risk of frost has passed (after Ice Saints ). Protect your young plants from snails. Prepare your soil well and add plenty of organic material to the planting hole. Water your sunflower and well and feed them weekly to encourage them to grow big. With very large varieties you may need to support them with a planting stick.

Which sunflower seeds to choose?

In our webshop we offer more than 10 types of sunflower seeds . It is important that you think about which sunflower you want in your vegetable garden. Some sunflowers grow to 50 cm, while others can grow to more than 3 meters high.

When to sow sunflowers ?

Knowing when to sow your sunflowers is important. Most sunflower seed planting instructions suggest direct sowing after all danger of frost has passed, which is fine if you live in an area with a long growing season. However, if your season is short, like in our Low Countries, you may not have enough time for a direct sowing crop. Sunflowers take 70 to 90 days to mature, with the larger flowered varieties taking the longest. You can get a head start on the season by sowing your sunflowers indoors about 5 weeks before the last frost date ( Ice Saints ).

sowing sunflower indoors

Sow sunflowers from mid-March to the end of April, individually in P9 pots .

Step-by-step plan for pre-sowing in pots

• Fill a P7 or P9 pot with a mix of 2/3 volume sieved potting soil and 1/3 perlite granules up to the top edge.
• Press the seed soil with a second pot so that there are no more air pockets. Your seed soil will now have sunk +/- 1 to 2 cm.
• You can now give your soil a good watering with a watering can with a fine, soft jet (don't do this again if you have already sown).
• Place a seed centrally in your P7 or P9 pot. Sow sunflower seeds on their side. From above you will only see a line.
• Cover your seeds with a layer of sifted potting soil that is as thick as the size of your seed. If your seed is 1 cm, add 1 cm of potting soil .
• Sprinkle everything with a 3 to 5 mm layer of vermiculite .
• Water your pot thoroughly with a plant sprayer , do not use a strong jet to avoid moving your seeds. Place your pots in a base. Do not forget to place a stick-in label with your seedlings, so you never forget what you have sown. Use a sun-resistant permanent marker.
• Place your pots in a temperature between 21 and 25 degrees on a south-facing windowsill (fairly good) under a grow light (better) or in a propagator with grow lights (completely good). In any case, make sure that the ratio of light and heat is right. On a warm windowsill with little light, your plants will stretch. If you have little light, place your plants much cooler after germination. Under a grow light or in a propagator with grow lights , the plants can be warm because the light is much stronger there.
• From the moment you see the first sprouts, continue to water the base (see step 6) until planting out.
• First come the cotyledons, then come the first pair of true leaves, when you see the second pair of true leaves you can go to the next step.

planting sunflower

Choosing a spot in your vegetable or flower garden

sunflower and love lots of sun. Plant sunflower and if possible in a place that is sheltered from strong winds, for example along a fence or near your garden shed or conservatory . Larger varieties can become very heavy and a strong wind can blow them over. They are also not picky about soil pH. sunflower and do well in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH 6.0 to 7.5). Plant your sunflower and better not next to your potatoes . The sunflower and would cast shade on your potatoes but they would also fight for food since both vegetable garden plants want a lot of food.

Ground preparation

sunflower and are not picky, but your soil should not be too compact. sunflower and do not like wet feet. Loosen your soil well and provide sufficient nutrition. Since they can grow quite large, they are big eaters. Your vegetable garden soil should be rich in nutrients with organic material or composted (old) manure. Or work with balanced fertilizer granules that are slowly released into your soil. Product in the spotlight https://www.moestuinweetjes.com/welkom/winkel/moestuin/plantverzorging/meststoffen/organische-meststof-universeel/

Determining the planting distance of your sunflower

The size of your sunflower varieties will determine how far apart you should plant your sunflower . If you are planting giants, you will need 0.75cm to 1 metre between each plant for optimum growth. The normal sunflower needs 25cm to half a metre and the miniatures only 15-30cm.

Step-by-step plan for planting out

1. Loosen your soil well with a spade or spade. Make a planting hole with a shovel or pit tamper of 2 x the size of your plant pot, both in depth and width. Catch the soil in a bucket because we are going to mix that soil with goodies for your plant.
2. If you have well-rotted compost available, you can also add compost to the dug-out soil.
3. Make sure that each plant gets 1 tablespoon of Magnesium sulphate and 2 handfuls (+/- 50-75 grams) of organic flower fertilizer pellets . In poor soil you can also add two handfuls of lava meal (extra minerals) and two handfuls of bentonite (water retaining).
4. If you now have enough soil in your bucket to fill 2 planting holes, add 2 tablespoons of magnesium sulphate , 4 handfuls of fertiliser pellets, 4 handfuls of lava meal and 4 handfuls of bentonite. In the next planting hole you can then use the scooped out soil elsewhere in the garden.
5. First, apply a layer of improved soil from your bucket until your root ball in your pot has reached the desired depth.
6. Remove your root ball from the pot, loosen the roots a bit and place your plant on the improved soil in your planting hole. Now fill the sides well with improved soil and press firmly.
7. Make a ditch around your plant that you can easily water later. Some gardeners place an inverted PET bottle with the hole cut out next to the plant to water it, which also works well.
8. Finally, place a large crop sign next to what you have planted, a small plant tag often gets overgrown.

Watering

There are no hard and fast rules for watering. Every soil is different, the sun does not always shine as hard and the wind can also dry out your soil faster than usual. If you water with a watering can , make sure that no drops end up around your plant and that you do not cause sunburn. Get to know your soil, you can follow the following rule of thumb:

• • spring or autumn with little sun: water once a week
  • spring with lots of sun or summer with little sun: water twice a week
  • summer with lots of sun: water every 2 days
  • heat wave : water every day

support sunflower

When your sunflower grows very tall or when bad weather is predicted, you can support your plant with support sticks. You can easily secure the plant with a tomato clip . This prevents your sunflower from breaking off due to the heavy flower heads or a strong gust of wind. For smaller specimens, support is not necessary.

sunflower and sowing and ... harvesting

Can you harvest sunflowers ? Yes, you can! You can make beautiful bouquets with them. What’s more, the more sunflowers you harvest, the more your plant is stimulated to create side branches. So the more flowers you harvest, the more flowers are created.

• Cut the stems early in the morning. Harvesting the flowers in the middle of the day can cause wilting.
• Choose a tall vase so that the black flower heads are supported somewhat.
• Change the water daily to keep them fresh. In room temperature water, the flowers can last at least a week.
• You can also harvest the flower heads as bird food during the winter.

In early fall, check the flower heads for signs of maturity. The backs will change from green to yellow-brown. Large heads will nod downward. If you look closely, you will see that the small petals covering the now developing seeds have dried and now fall off easily, exposing the tightly packed mature seeds . Then cut off the flower heads (about 15cm below the head) and hang them upside down in a warm, dry place (such as your greenhouse or conservatory ) that is well ventilated and protected from insects and rodents .

Video planting flowers outside in the open ground

In the video below you can see how Tom plants his flowers this year (2012) in the vegetable garden. At 8:27 the sunflower and come into view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQvMCZUiUyE

Finally

In addition to growing crops to eat, it is fun to also provide plants that will attract various beneficial insects to your vegetable garden. I hope you found this article useful. If you find the information from Moestuinweetjes valuable, then definitely consider buying your vegetable garden supplies in our webshop . For your first purchase, you can use the discount code biomoestuin for a 5 euro discount on your shopping cart. We also reward returning customers with a discount code moestuinspullen , which gives a 5 euro discount at checkout for a purchase of more than 50 euros. Good luck in your vegetable garden or flower garden, Sarah