Hand holding sunflower seeds ready to plant

Sunflowers have a reputation for being really easy to grow. All you need is a sunny patch of well-draining soil to get your sunflower garden growing. Grab up your seed packets and plan your planting!

Growing sunflowers from seeds

Sunflowers grow best if you can just plant them directly outside. Like carrots, sunflowers don’t really like to have their roots disturbed once they get growing, so you and your sunflowers will be better off with direct sowing.

Sunflowers send out long taproots into the ground as deep as 6 feet; this gives the taller varieties added stability and also gives the plants access to nutrients deep in the ground.

If you have a way to protect your germinating seeds from the local wildlife, you can plant your seeds at your final intended spacing. Otherwise, plant some extra seeds and thin out the extra seedlings once they emerge. Keep in mind that the closer together you plant your seeds, the smaller your flowers are likely to be, since they’ll be competing underground for nutrients and above ground for sun and space.

Planting sunflower seedlings

Sunflower seedling growing

Sunflowers prefer to grow where they’re planted, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to start your sunflower seeds indoors. You just need to do a little planning.

Plant your seeds singly in biodegradable seed pots. One of the main reasons sunflower seeds started indoors fail is because the emerging taproot doesn’t have enough room to grow. A stunted taproot could mean a failed sunflower. Biodegradable seed starting pots have a hole in the bottom for the root to reach out, giving you a better chance of a successful transplant.

Once your seedlings have their first true leaves, you can gently transplant them to their outdoor home. The key here is to be extra careful that you don’t damage the taproot during transplanting. Be sure to dig a hole with loose, loamy soil for the plant to settle in.

Do you start your sunflower plants by planting them outdoors, or do you start the seeds indoors? Please tell us how you get your sunflower plants started.