Grow sunflowers by starting the seeds indoors.
Annuals native to the Americas, sunflowers brighten gardens and landscapes with their large, flowering heads and vibrant colors. The flowers are available in a variety of strains with petals that range from a deep orange to a pale yellow. While some of the seeds are edible, many sunflower seeds are grown just for ornamental purposes. Starting the sunflower seeds indoors will allow you to get an early start on the growing season so that you can enjoy the sunflowers longer.
Instructions
1. Pour fresh potting soil into individual peat pots. You can make your own potting soil by mixing one part compost, one part peat moss and one part vermiculite.
2. Sow two sunflower seeds in each peat pot. Place the seeds in the center of the pot and cover them with ½-inch of the potting soil if you are growing a dwarf variety or 1-inch for larger sunflowers.
3. Water the soil to keep it moist. Cover the peat pots with a clear plastic wrap. Place the pots in a sunny window until they germinate. Keep the soil moist while you wait for the seeds to germinate. This will take around 14 days.
4. Remove the plastic from the peat pots once the seeds germinate. Water the soil to keep it moist, but avoid over watering the soil so that it does not become soggy. Remove the weaker seedling from each pot once the strongest seedling produces two sets of leaves.
5. Transplant the sunflower seedlings outdoors after the threat of frost passes. You will need to harden the seedlings by placing them outdoors for two to four hours each day for seven days before you actually transplant the sunflowers outdoors.
6. Cut the bottom off the peat pots with scissors or a sharp knife. Plant each peat pot into a hole in the soil so that the rim of the pot remains at the soil level. Space large sunflowers 3 feet apart and dwarf sunflowers 1 foot apart.
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