I'm Growing Sunflowers Again ...

I get more hits on this Blog for growing sunflowers than anything else. People come here from all over the World to find out how. So this is for you, World. I'm happy to give back to my Planet. You rock. And you do so many nice things for me.

I started growing Sunflowers from seed as soon as I moved back to The Prairie. I'm used to seeing fields of Sunflowers here. And I'm hooked. They have an amazing cycle which is lengthy. And you get to give them over to the Birds !

Last year I grew the huge bright yellow Sunflowers that were very tall. I put them in my fancy Houston/West University black ceramic pots that used to line my driveway. They looked even finer lining my not so fancy Farm Garage.

This year I'm growing Old's brand Autumn Beauty Sunflower Seeds. The package says they have a branching plant habit ... I like that idea. I'm big on overkill. I can get away with that here on The Prairie. The package also says they are stunning ... no doubt, if I have anything to do with it. I'm going to give you all of my secrets and track mine for you as they grow. You can track yours for me too.

On a clear glass salad size plate, I folded a couple of white paper towels, and sprinkled the seeds onto it and spread them out. Then I gently poured water over them from my container that holds water that has been out of the faucet for a day or so. Fragile seeds need tender loving water. I put another sheet of paper towel over the seeds and poured a bit more water over them. They should be pretty wet, close to dripping, and they should never dry out.

I started this batch last night and they sat in the bright sunlight all day today. They are already opening. You can see the little white tails. I think these will be ready to go in the ground or a pot by Friday. Last year's seeds were larger than the salted seeds that we eat. They took about a week. xoxo.