Sunflowers have become my favorite flower after growing them this summer and in an attempt to hold onto them as long as possible, I want to share all about how I am saving seeds from our sunflowers and a few simple things you can do with them.
I am going to be completely honest with y’all- our garden struggled this year. We had limited time to actually tend to it besides the normal watering and we had some hot weather that did not do it any favors. Our area was put on a water restriction and this caused issues as well. While I am no master gardener, I still did not get as much out of our garden this year as I’d hoped. But I still have hope and I am trying to squeeze everything I can out of it. Our sunflowers were my favorite part of the garden this year and I never thought I would be so excited over a sunflower, but I really wanted to make them last. So today, I wanted to share all about saving the seeds from our sunflowers.
Saving Seeds From Sunflowers Video
What You’ll Need For Saving Seeds From Sunflowers
Sunflowers
Below I will talk more about how to choose your sunflowers and when to cut them.
Bowl or Plate
I used this just to give my seeds a chance to dry before storing.
Envelope, Paper Bag, Or Mason Jar
Any of these will work to store your seeds. We have ours in an envelope for now!
How To Start Saving Seeds From Sunflowers
Cut And Dry The Sunflowers
The first thing I considered was the perfect time to cut my sunflowers to harvest the seeds.
Ahhh, no I didn’t. You should, but I didn’t. I pretty much took some dried sunflowers from an arrangement that was passed it’s prime. Then went and cut a few more.
Ideally though, you would consider this before cutting. The best time to cut your sunflowers for seed saving is when the petals have fallen off and the backs are starting to yellow. This gives the seeds enough time to mature and provide the most seeds per flower. However, after learning this I tried to wait but the birds started in on my seeds! So while letting them dry out on the plant is ideal, this worked well when I did not! I guess pick your poison, losing some to immaturity or to birds. Or you might could even try netting or a paper bag over the sunflower while it dries on the plant. The seeds we did get from the indoor dried sunflowers were the same color and just as big as those we got from the sunflower dried on the plant.
I used sunflowers that had dried in an arrangement and we dried some by hanging them upside down on a rod or hook.
Remove Outer Pieces Of The Head
So on the outside of the head of the sunflower there is a layer you need to remove. Do I know what this is called? No. But what I do know is that once the sunflower was dry enough, I could shake or even lightly run my hand over it and it would fall off in pieces.
Remove The Seeds
Under that first layer you will find the seeds. In my variety, I could see little white specks on the ends of the black seeds. Again, once dry enough, I found that the seeds would shake out or even just fall out. On one of mine, the seeds did not and so I started picking them out before I decided to let it dry some more. Even still, the seeds were identical to those that did fall out so I suspect this is just a minor difference.
Store
I let our seeds sit on a plate for a day or two before storing just to give them time to dry, then I put them in an envelope and labeled it with the flower and date.
If I am being completely honest, my mom had actually saved some already and labeled the envelope. My handwriting is not that nice.
We have these placed on a shelf that is out of direct sunlight, ready to be used!
Use
There are actually a few things you can do with sunflower seeds that you have harvested and saved. The main things would be to plant them in your garden next year, roast and eat them, or use them animal feed.
Plant In The Garden
This is what we will be using our sunflower seeds for this year. I am not quite advanced of a chicken keeper to make my own chicken feed just yet- although I did just start The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook by Amy K. Fewell so I am getting there!- and I’m just not a big nuts and seeds gal.
Once I decide I am ready to plant, I will just pull out my seeds like any others that I purchase. This year I started my sunflower seeds indoors. I actually got them mixed up afterward and wasn’t sure what I had so I just decided to put it in a bare spot in the garden. It turned out to be my favorite thing we grew! I will probably start these in trays again or maybe try my hand at soil blocking, but you can also direct sow these.
Roast And Eat
For salted sunflower seeds, add the seeds to salted water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and simmer for around 20 minutes. Drain the water once done. If you do not want them salted, skip this step and move onto the next step.
Next, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay seeds flat on a sheet pan and roast in oven for 10 minutes. You can continue to roast for a few more minutes but I would check them every 2-3 minutes passed the 10 minute mark.
Feed To Animals
My understanding on this is that you can give the entire sunflower to chickens and they will eat the seeds out or mix sunflower seeds into their feed. I have not tried this and plan to give them any sunflowers but many people make their own feed with sunflower seeds being one component. I have not read up on this for any other animals.
FAQ
Do Sunflowers Come Back Every Year?
This depends on the variety and type of sunflower you have. There are both annual and perennial sunflowers. The seeds packet or a quick google search should tell you what type your variety is!
We grew annuals this year so once the season is up, they will not come back.
What To Do With The Test Of Sunflower And Plant?
Toss, compost or give to your animals!
We will be giving ours to our laying hens.
Will Birds Eat Sunflower Seeds From The Plant?
Yes. To remedy this, you can either cover them when still on the plant or harvest them early.
Do you grow sunflowers or any flowers? What is your favorite flower from your garden this year?
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More Posts You May Enjoy!
- Starting Seeds For Spring Gardening
- DIY Summer Planter
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- DIY Natural Fall Wreath
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Saving Seeds From Sunflowers
Sunflowers have become my favorite flower after growing them this summer and in an attempt to hold onto them as long as possible, I want to share all about how I am saving seeds from our sunflowers and a few things you can do with them.
Materials
- Sunflower(s)
- Bowl or Plate
- Envelope, Paper Bag or Jar With Lid
Instructions
Cut And Dry The Sunflowers
The best time to cut your sunflowers for seed saving is when the petals have fallen off and the backs are starting to yellow. This gives the seeds enough time to mature and provide the most seeds per flower.
Remove Outer Pieces Of The Head
On the outside of the head of the sunflower there is a layer you need to remove. Once the sunflower was dry enough, I could shake or even lightly run my hand over it and it would fall off in pieces.
Remove The Seeds
Under that first layer you will find the seeds. In my variety, I could see little white specks on the ends of the black seeds. Again, once dry enough, I found that the seeds would shake out or even just fall out. On one of mine, the seeds did not and so I started picking them out before I decided to let it dry some more. Even still, the seeds were identical to those that did fall out so I suspect this is just a minor difference.
Store
I let our seeds sit on a plate for a day or two before storing just to give them time to dry, then I put them in an envelope and labeled it with the flower and date.
We have these placed on a shelf that is out of direct sunlight, ready to be used!
Use
There are actually a few things you can do with sunflower seeds that you have harvested and saved. The main things would be to plant them in your garden next year, roast and eat them, or use them animal feed.
Plant In The Garden
This is what we will be using our sunflower seeds for this year. I am not quite advanced of a chicken keeper to make my own chicken feed just yet- although I did just start The Homesteader's Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook by Amy K. Fewell so I am getting there!- and I'm just not a big nuts and seeds gal.
Once I decide I am ready to plant, I will just pull out my seeds like any others that I purchase. This year I started my sunflower seeds indoors. I actually got them mixed up afterward and wasn't sure what I had so I just decided to put it in a bare spot in the garden. It turned out to be my favorite thing we grew! I will probably start these in trays again or maybe try my hand at soil blocking, but you can also direct sow these.
Roast And Eat
For salted sunflower seeds, add the seeds to salted water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and simmer for around 20 minutes. Drain the water once done. If you do not want them salted, skip this step and move onto the next step.
Next, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay seeds flat on a sheet pan and roast in oven for 10 minutes. You can continue to roast for a few more minutes but I would check them every 2-3 minutes passed the 10 minute mark.
Feed To Animals
My understanding on this is that you can give the entire sunflower to chickens and they will eat the seeds out or mix sunflower seeds into their feed. I have not tried this and plan to give them any sunflowers but many people make their own feed with sunflower seeds being one component. I have not read up on this for any other animals.