The other day I was looking in YouTube for a sunflower timelapse with the boys and I noticed how it made them smile, no matter how many times I played the video. I specially noticed that it made them so happy, it was the smiles, the expression in their faces.
Sunflowers are so cheerful and warm; it will always spark instant happiness and it is the best flower to grow with kids and have them gain interest in the garden and to go outside. After all I have said, I will grow sunflowers in a little border along a piece of my fence for all of us to enjoy.
I’m planting in zone 7a, in the first days of June, when temperatures are now consistent over 80 degrees during the day and over 65 during the night. Sunflower is a quick crop; Procut sunflowers, for example, will bloom with 55 to 60 days after planting, meaning that you could start this project and drop your seeds in the ground as late as July to August.
For this little project I got a plastic fence out of Amazon to delineate a little improvised garden bed for the flowers, as I don’t want to make major changes in the landscape. I will also do succession planting, and I’m using ProCut sunflowers for this project which procures only one flowers per plant making the plant more compact and tidier, and because I would also want to make this very fun, and I also want to grow various color of sunflowers. ProCut sunflowers are also pollen-less, so they are perfect for cut flowers. Sunflowers are heavy feeders, so I will use some compost in the planting whole, but that is all I will do. Some people will say to fertilize, others will say not necessary. I decided that I won’t, since I’ll be plating in the ground. This is a no-fuss planting project.
These are the materials I’m using in this project:
- ProCut sunflowers seeds
- Plastic garden edge
- Compost
- Slug and Snail Bite
- Mesh/Tull, to protect from squirrels while the seeds germinate.
- Garden tools and garden gloves.
I’m planting my sunflower and covering with solids, as they need darkness to germinate, about 1/2” depth. With ProCut sunflower, you can go very, very close together, even about 2 inches apart. Keep in mind that the closer you plant them, the smaller the bloom and the stem will be. This is a technique used by flower farmers, as florists preferer smaller stems and flowers to be able to stick them in flower arrangements with other flowers.
I will be succession planting them every one or two weeks for a steady blooming season. In my little space I will plant 5 seeds each week starting at the back of the bed to avoid shading the new newly planted needs.
And that is all! Now just wait and enjoy!
I will update this post with new pics as the 2024 growing season progresses. Stay tuned!