Hello friends!
Even though our area has been having very strong thunderstorms as of late (Florida summers for ya), the garden is still holding on and my giant sunflowers have even made it through alive! Hip hip hurray! Here are a few of my tips on growing these bad boys in a zone 9b Florida garden:
Tip 1: Plant directly into the ground when it's warm and give them lots of space, they don't like to be crowded! I put about 3 seeds in a small triangle and then remove all but the strongest seedling when they get a few inches high. Only the strong continue on! :)
Tip 2: They are heavy feeders; amend the ground with a some compost and give them a little fertilize every so often...they are also fast growers!
Tip 3: To help them live up to their mammoth name, plant them next to something that you can anchor them to. I used fence posts that were already in my garden and as they grew I tied them off to it. This helped keep them from breaking during the storms!
Tip 4: Sunflowers LOVE the sun! Full sun all the time is what they prefer.
Tip 5: Be aware they will create a feeding frenzy of birds and bugs! So, planting them right next to your tomatoes might create a buffet of sorts. :)
Tip 6: To harvest the seeds, wait until the heads drop and the backs of them go from green to yellow/brown. Or, cut them before and put them in a vase!
I hope you learned something and are inspired to grow some of these beauties in your own garden!
Take care,
Leigh
Partying with:
I love sunflowers too! Last year I had some giant ones. Here in Western PA one or two of mine are just starting to open....yours are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI noticed last summer how much the goldfinches loved them too! :)
Hi Deb! They are so much fun to watch grow! I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas during the days before they open up, haha! :) Thanks for taking a look!
Delete-Leigh
One of my favorites for sure, nothing no prettier than lots big sunflowers growing and following the sun. I'm knew follower. I saw this at Home Sweet Garden.
ReplyDeleteThank you for following along! Sunflowers following the sun have always interested me too-- Mother Nature can do awesome things! :)
Delete-Leigh
Simply Suzannes at Home
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Sunflowers always remind me of my dad. I thought about growing them this Summer with my kids, and appreciate reading all your tips. ((Especially growing them away from tomato plants!))
Thanks for all the great advice. Your sunflowers are beautiful :0)
Have a wonderful week,
Suzanne
This is my second summer trying to grow sunflowers. Last year the deer chomped down on my five inch sprouts :( We moved to a new home this summer, 900 miles from the previous one (VA to MI). I planted some sunflower seeds a few weeks ago and fortunately, deer don't come around our area. Thank you for your tips, I hope my sunflowers are as successful as yours! -Bev
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post! I have tried to grow sunflowers multiple times and have not been successful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your lovely post at Home Sweet Garden Party! You are on of this weeks featured posts! I hope you can join us again this week too! I am finishing up the post and it will be live in a few minutes. {www.creativecountrymom.com} Hugs...Brooke
ReplyDeleteHey from another Florida gardener! Your sunflowers are gorgeous! This is the first year I haven't had much luck with them. So glad to see yours doing well!
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