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Time to put sunflowers in the bag

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 19, 2018

These mammoth sunflowers at the Fremont Community Garden are over 8 feet tall and will require
a ladder to bag the heads. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Save the seed with these easy tips

Bees love them. Birds love them. People enjoy them, too. Sunflowers add a lot to a summer garden, and August is all about the seeds. Opportunistic birds (and rodents) will harvest their own. But what if you want some for yourself?

Also, those giant heads will spread lots of seed in the garden if left to fully mature on the stalk.

When are the seeds ready? Look at the back of the sunflower head. It goes from green to yellow to brown. When the back is fully brown, the seeds are ripe.

Before those seeds disperse everywhere, bag the head. This helps collect the seeds as well as protect them from birds and critters. When the back of the head turns brown, slip a large paper grocery bag over the seed head and secure the bottom with twine or rubber bands. Leave it for a week as the seeds finish maturing, then cut the stalk 4 to 6 inches below the seed head. Place the bag right side up, somewhere out of direct sun. As the seeds dry, they'll fall off into the bag.

Paper works better than plastic, which may cause moisture build up and mold.

Is your sunflower head too big to fit in a bag? Wrap cheesecloth, sheeting or other light fabric around the seed head. (An old pillow case works.) Tie at the bottom around the stem. After cutting, keep the head wrapped until the seeds are dry and loose.

Plenty of seeds here for humans -- or birds.

When ready, the seeds often shake loose. Or you can gently pry them out with a fork or your fingers. Or you can rub the seeds off. Grip the stem and rub the head against a rough surface such as a washboard or corrugated metal. The seeds will pop right off.

As an edible decoration, sunflower stalks also may be cut a little early as the seeds are ripening (after the back of the head turns yellow). Hang the seed heads upside down to dry indoors, protected from birds. The seeds will be ready in about two weeks.

While birds aren't finicky about underripe seeds, sunflower seeds should be dried on the plant (or maturing seed head) for human consumption.

How to roast sunflower seeds: Remove ripe seeds from seed head. If you want them salted, soak seeds overnight in salted water (1 cup salt to 1 gallon water). Drain. Then, dry the seeds in the oven. Spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees F. Slow-roast seeds in oven for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally. Let cool. Store roasted seeds in air-tight container.

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An article about gardening.

Keywords:

seeds gardening Sacramento sunflowers birds summer flowers summer gardens

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend

April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look

April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come

March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)

March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

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Garden checklist for week of May 10

Take it easy during that high heat – then get to work! Your garden is calling.

* Remember to irrigate your tender transplants. Seedlings need consistent moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants. Water early in the morning for best results.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.

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Taste Fall! E-cookbook

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

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Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth