How to Grow Sunflowers
Sunflowers are super easy to grow from seed and is fun for all the family. They’re one of the nations most-loved flowers and add a lovely pop of colour and character to the garden. They can grow up to heights of 2 metres and come out in very impressive, long lasting flowers which also make for beautiful cut flowers. Check out our simple 4-step grow guide to growing the perfect sunflower!
1. Sowing Sunflower Seeds
You can sow your sunflower seeds in a pot indoors like vegetable seeds (see our runner beans blog as an example!) or they can be sown directly into the ground. You can sow them inside from April-May before planting them outside. If you’re sowing them directly into the ground, wait until the end of May or start of June, once the last frost has passed.
Firstly, you need to make sure the space is weed free so pick up those trowels and get weeding!
2. Prepare Your Soil
Rake the soil until it’s a fine, crumbly texture and make small holes about 12mm deep and 10cm apart from one another. Place the seeds in gently, cover them up with soil and water them carefully! If you find that, as they begin to grow, they start to become crowded, thin them out by moving them 50cm apart from one another, leaving the strongest plants.
3. Sunflower Pests
The pesky slugs and snails will try and nibble away at your shoots so make sure you protect them! We’d advise wildlife-friendly slug pellets but, alternatively, you could cut off the top of a plastic bottle and cover the seedling. This will create the perfect little dome covering to stop the attacks but still allowing the shoots to grow.
4. Sunflower Plant Supports
As your Sunflower grows taller, it will need more support to help it stay upright. Find a cane to place firmly into the ground next to your sunflower and gently tie the sunflower stem to the cane with string. Watch your Sunflower grow and see how tall it can get!
If this blog has inspired you to grow your own sunflowers this year, we’d love to hear about it! Share your planting journey with us on our social media @oldrailwaylinegardencentre on Facebook and Instagram.