Green Talk®

Whole Body, Healthy Home, and Sustainable Garden Inspiration

 Get Inspired.  Sign Up for Our Free Newsletter

  • About
    • Press
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
  • New Here?
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Hire Me
  • 5 Reasons to Subscribe!
  • Build Green
  • Gardening
  • Green Business
  • Green Living
  • Green Home
  • Recycling
  • Tech

Harvesting Sunflower Seeds Before the Critters Get ‘Em

October 1, 2012 By: Anna2 Comments

 

Sunflower Head Before Harvest

Sunflower Head Before Harvest

I love growing sunflowers in my garden.  Their heads are magical as they follow the sun.  Bees adore them and so do unfortunately squirrels  Timing the harvest can be tricky but once you get the hang of it, you will be eating those addictive seeds before you know it.

When to Harvest

First tale tell time is when the sunflowers start to droop and most of its flowers have fallen off.  I grow eight foot sunflowers so the heads are quite big. 

This is when I harvest the sunflowers.

  • When the back of the head turns yellow
  • You can see a black stripe in the seed head.  (You might need to remove a few of the yellow florets to see.)
  • When the birds and squirrels start eating them.

I then cut the head down along with 12 inches of the stalk.  Believe me, I have timed it  way too early.  Last year I tried putting a paper bag over it so that any seeds that fell went into the bag.

Squirrels and Sunflowers

This year the squirrels were absolutely horrible.  They think I am the dumbest human alive.   A bag, they laughed.  They neatly threw my bag to the ground, string and all and proceeded to have a feast on one of my prized  sunflowers.

Luckily, I recovered half of it.  So, if you have squirrels it is a real timing game.  (A post on how to keep squirrels out of your yard is coming.)

Don’t Do’s.

I was told to let my sunflower dry out and it would be easier to harvest.  Not.  I put it in a brown bag in the garage.  One week later, the bag was leaking brown sunflower juice and it smelled horrible.  Other years, they have molded.

So, I resort to the old rub the sunflower game to get the seeds out. Watch my video below. So time consuming but  I haven’t found an alternative that works for me.  All up for suggestions!

Once you got the seeds out of the sunflower, it is time to soak the seeds in salt water.  Check back as I explain how to soak and then roast.  I know.  Can’t you just smell the seeds?

Join the Conversation:

  • Do you grow sunflowers?  If so, is it for eating the seeds or bring in pollinators.
  • When do you know it is time to take down your sunflower?
  • How do you get the seeds out of the sunflower?

 

Similar Posts:

  • Roasting Sunflower Seeds. The Ultimate Treat
  • Growing and Harvesting Garlic from Bubblet Seed
  • Hulless Oats: How to Grow Them.
  • Young Plants Animal Protection: Use Trash
  • How to Grow Grains in a Small Garden

Grow From Seed Mini Course

Grow From Seed Mini Course

About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 1

    Mark Hausammann says

    September 21, 2017 at 1:42 pm

    The Hurricane broke the sunflower stalks before they were fully ripe. I cut the heads off but the seeds are a solid white. Is there anything I can do to save the crop? I’m thinking I can just let them dry while still on the head and then rub them off. Any ideas?

    Reply
    • 2

      Anna says

      September 26, 2017 at 1:19 am

      Mark I don’t think so. Usually, the seeds will have a black stripe when they are ripe. You can try opening them and see if there is anything inside. Anna

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Shop from Anna’s Farm– The Naked Botanical– Farm Fresh Teas, Salts & Body Products

The Naked Botanical " Click HERE

Save Money By Growing Your Plants Indoors.

Three Must Have Equipment "

Grab My Free Mini Course

Connect with Me

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • Organic Color Systems: Wash those Grays Away with a Safer Hair Color
  • Coffee Grounds in the Garden: Friend or Foe?
  • Celery Leaves: Cook or Discard them?

RSS Green Talk Radio

  • An error has occurred, which probably means the feed is down. Try again later.

Popular Posts

  • Organic Color Systems: Wash those Grays Away with a Safer Hair Color
  • Coffee Grounds in the Garden: Friend or Foe?
  • Celery Leaves: Cook or Discard them?
  • Freeze Cucumbers & Learn How to Use Them.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide + Ears = Bye to Colds. A Remedy that Works

RSS Green Talk TV

  • Turmeric indoor sowing time!
  • Short snippet of creating a rose hydrosol
  • Elderberry, more uses than just for health
  • The Naked Botanical's Gift Boxes
  • The Naked Botanical salts

Copyright Green Talk © 2022 · Website Designed by Clever Kiwi