A Sunny Day? You Can Grow That!

Every day is filled with sunshine if you grow Sunflowers. This annual plant, Helianthus annuus, makes a cheerful addition to any flower bed, vegetable plot, or bird garden. Best of all, they are easy to grow! Don’t look for annual sunflowers in the garden center, however. These plants are best planted from seed.

Put sunflower seed in the ground in mid to late May on Cape Cod once all danger of frost is past. If you plant another group of seeds a month after the first you’ll extend your sunflower blooming season. Poke the seeds down about an inch and plant them at least a foot apart. Water the ground well after planting so that the squirrels and crows won’t know you’ve put their favorite food in the ground.

Watch the area where you’ve planted carefully. Young sunflower sprouts are a favorite food of slugs, but if you dust these shoots and the area around them with diatomaceous earth immediately when they appear you’ll prevent this slug damage.

Water sunflower plants deeply but less often – a good deep soaking with a sprinkler every four to seven days will help the plants to have strong, deep root systems. Cut sunflower blooms when they have just fully opened, slicing the stems at an angle and placing them in water right away.