To ensure pure seed, grow your sunflowers at least 1/2 mile from any sunflowers grown by your neighbors. The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) grows well in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 1 through 11. The seeds are usually ready for harvest 30 to 45 days after the flower opens, but that depends a lot on the weather. This is from mid-April to late May in the Northern United States. Conventional wisdom says that the seeds should be either direct seeded after danger of frost, or, in short season regions, started in pots a few weeks earlier, for later transplanting. Once the flower opens, it’ll be a long time before everything has been pollinated and seeds fully develop. The Best Time to Plant Sunflower Seeds. How to Plant Sunflowers: Place the sunflower seed in the ground. Sunflower Farming Business Plan. Most sunflower varieties need 95-110 frost-free days to produce mature seeds, which means they can grow in zone 5 and warmer. Gently push the sunflower seed into the soil. Calculate the expenses of seed, fertilizer, nutrients, pesticides and labor costs. Harvesting Sunflower Seeds. Slow down plants. Contact with the potential buyer of sunflower seed in your locality. Cover the sunflower seed with dirt. The plant produces a large head of seeds that can be saved for planting the following season or … Below is a photo collage of my mother showing us exactly how to plant a sunflower seed directly into the ground with her experienced gardening hands. This allows you to grow your favorite sunflower varieties each year without the expense of new seed stock every spring. This is the most important tip: genetics matter! Also calculate post-harvesting cost like storage, bagging, etc. These toxins are harmless to people and eventually break down in soil. You can plant sunflower seeds directly into the ground after the danger of Spring frost has passed and the soil is thoroughly warmed (soil temperature of 55 to 60 degrees F). These annual plants are tall, with a height of 8 to 15 feet. Sunflower leaves, stems and seeds release substances that inhibit the growth of certain plants. Step 2 — Plant Sunflower Seeds. Sunflower seed heads make plants top-heavy and easily toppled with strong winds. Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) grow up to 8 feet tall with some cultivars reaching heights of 15 feet. Also, a proper seed treatment is to be carried out for better germination of sunflower seeds So, that you can achieve a good plant density. Sunflowers seeds run approximately $25 per 10 pounds of seed. Don’t plant too thick, as too many plants will grow and competition will result in a lesser plot. Plant seeds and then use a cultipacker to put them at the appropriate depth. That’s why grass may die beneath your sunflower birdfeeder. Always hoard a small number of the sunflower seeds that you’re setting out. Forget the dwarf varieties (which do great in containers), and look for types with words like giant, mammoth, kong, tall, monster, and so on in the either the seed name or description. 1 Choose the Right Seed. Fix your sunflower farming budget. First, fix the land area where you will grow a sunflower. Press down firmly. A plant population around 50,000 to 75,000 plants per hectare is considered as the best suitable for producing maximum depending on the water availability and sunflower cultivar. Planting sunflower seeds. Plant the seeds no more than 1 inch deep and 6 inches apart. Determining when sunflower seeds are ready for harvest can be tricky. While saving sunflower seeds as a snack or as bird feed is common, you can also save the seed for replanting the next year. You have to start with a variety of sunflower that can grow tall. If broadcasting, plant about 25 pounds per acre. 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