If we convinced you to add sunflowers to your garden this year (read 13 Sunflower Varieties To Brighten Up the Garden if you need more convincing), then you might be wondering what to do with them at the end of the season.
While you could simply cut them down and add them to the compost pile, there are so many uses for this quintessential summer flower that that seems almost criminal. But first, you have to harvest them in order to store properly for future use. Here’s how.
When to Harvest Sunflower Seeds
Sunflowers bloom through the summer and even into the autumn months, depending upon where you live. At the end of your sunflower season, keep an eye on your flowers to determine when the right time is for harvesting. Signs your sunflowers are ready:
• The foliage has died back completely
• The backs of the flowerheads are brown
• The seeds are plump and somewhat loose
Materials Needed to Harvest & Store Sunflower Seeds
- Pruners
- Bucket
- Twine
- Colander
- Cardboard box
- Paper towels
- Storage containers
- Labels & marker
How To Harvest Sunflower Seeds
- Cut. Using sharp pruners, cut the stalks of each flower head about one foot below the bloom. Wear gloves — the stalks can be a bit prickly! Place them in a large container that catches any seeds that fall out in the process. Some may be ready to harvest right now — if so, go to Step #3. If not, continue to Step #2. Are you sunflowers ready to harvest, but you’re not? Tie paper bags around the seedheads in the garden to keep the birds from harvesting for you.
- Dry. Bundle your sunflowers together with twine in bunches, then hang them upside down in a warm and dry area for 4-5 days. To keep pesky birds from eating your seeds before you have a chance to harvest them, hang them to dry indoors.
- Remove Seeds. Grab a 5-gallon bucket and your sunflower heads, and rub the surface of the seedhead over the bucket. The seeds will fall right out. You’ll also get other bits and pieces like petals and dried plant bits, but you’ll take care of that next.
- Remove Debris. Place the seeds in a colander and rinse thoroughly. Remove any unwanted plant parts or debris and discard them.
- Store. Finally, line a cardboard box with paper towels or newspaper, and spread the seeds evenly in a single layer, leaving space between each seed. Allow to dry out overnight before storing in an airtight glass or plastic container with lids with proper labeling (sunflower variety, date harvested).
Congratulations! You’ve successfully harvested and stored your sunflower seeds for future use. From snacking to baking, creating suet cakes for birds over the winter, or replanting into next year’s garden, sunflowers are easy and fun to grow and harvest — get the family involved, as it’s an ideal project for children to learn the soup-to-nuts (or seeds) entire lifecycle of a plant.
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Thanks for sharing. I just planted my seeds. They usually get about 6-7 feet.
How wonderful, if you are on Instagram or Facebook connect with us we would love to see pictures of your sunflowers.
When planting seeds is it point down or butt down?
Point down! This gives the seed a head start as the root will emerge from the radicle and head straight down, while the shoot or stem will work toward the sun! Hope this helped!
Do you have to rinse the ones that will be used for planting? They seem clean and dry, so I wasn’t sure how important it is to get wet and then dry again before storing
You certainly don’t have to, but rinsing the seeds will remove any traces of dirt or bacteria that may have gathered on the seed while outdoors. Rinsing them for a few seconds and immediately letting them dry will not affect the seeds, as long as you let them completely dry before storing them in an airtight container. It’s up to you, but if you think they look clean, either way is fine. 🙂
I planted 1 seed per small pot, (total 25 small pots) It’s been 3-4 weeks, an none has sprouted. What am I doing wrong? I water it everyday. I wanted to plant them like a seedling, then transfer to the ground. Can you give me advise on what’s the best result to plant the sunflowers. I would like to be ready for the next season.
Maybe I harvested the sunflowers too early? Please, I need your expert advise.
Hi Gina, sunflowers love well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. When growing sunflowers from seed you’ll typically see a sprout within 7 to 10 days, one common problem is planting the seeds too deep. Aim to plant your seeds 1 to 2 inches deep in your soil. Another issue could be overwatering as sunflowers don’t like soggy or wet conditions. Starting seeds can be tricky, check out this video for some great tips and tricks, https://youtu.be/5fhJZvcRY_U.
If you save your seed to use for replanting you have to make sure the seed inside the shell is fully formed and plump before you cut the head off the stem in order to be viable to grow next year.
If the seed-germ inside the shell isn’t formed like the store bought sunflower seeds you buy and eat then they won’t germinate.
Love my 12 footers here in Alberta
Excelente artículo. Educativo. Gracias por esa orientacion..
How deep do you plant the seed?
Hi April! Typically, you want to plant your sunflower seeds about 1 inch deep, you can plant a few seeds together and then thin them out when they get about 6 inches tall to a spacing of 6 inches apart.
So happy to find this site. My sunflowers are about 8 feet this year. Have never saved the seeds, and am looking forward to doing this.
Are some sunflower seeds white? I had mammoth sunflowers and they are pure white
Hi Sarah, yes, there are some varieties of mammoth sunflowers that have all white seeds. If you google ‘mammoth white seed sunflower’ you’ll find some additional varieties as well as online seed retailers. Happy gardening!
Where is step 5? “ You’ll also get other bits and pieces like petals and dried plant bits, but you’ll take care of that in Step #5.”
Hi MicKay, we appreciate your feedback and have revised our blog post to better describe the sunflower seed harvesting process. To remove the debris, simply place your seeds in a colander and rinse them thoroughly. Then, handpick any remaining unwanted material. We hope you have a fantastic season!
Your article was great! I have a question.
I live in South Louisiana, it’s July now, and I’ve already dried out one of my sunflowers and the seeds are ready. Can I replant some of these again this year or do I need to wait til next year?
Hi Dee, once the seeds are harvested, they can be used right away or saved for the next season. However, their germination rate decreases with age, so unless you are keeping the seeds in temperatures that are less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit and less than 50 percent humidity consider them expired after one year.
I’m curious. Is it possible to overdry your seeds to replant ? Do I want them stale or raw looking ?? Thank you!
Hello Jess, it’s possible to overdry your seeds, but it doesn’t happen often. As long as you store them in a cool, dry, and dark place, your seeds will be safe.