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Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
									P	P	P

(Best months for planting Sunflower in Australia - cool/mountain regions)

P = Sow direct in garden where they are to grow.

• Harvest in 10-11 weeks.
• Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
• Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 30°C.
• Space plants: 20-30cm

Large showy flowers, available in a variety of colours Giant or Russian varieties are best for seed production

Sunflowers do not like to be transplanted.

Grow to 1 - 2 metres (4 - 6 ft) so need staking or protection from the wind. Protect the seed heads from birds when ripening.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Sunflower

Use seeds fresh or toasted

Your comments and tips

26 Apr 10 Jennifer (Australia - temperate climate)

I had a few questions about planting sunflowers; just by reading others' comments I now have the confidence to give it a go. Thank you so much for this site!

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19 Apr 10 C lee (Australia - temperate climate)

Stephen sunflowers wont react too good if u transplant so i would recommend just pulling out the weakest ones and letting the strong ones live.

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19 Feb 10 stephen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Garden centre seeds were too expensive so I planted a whole heap of sunflower seeds which we buy from the supermarket for our cockatoo. Now I have got heaps of seedlings all very close to one another. Should I thin them out by transplanting or by pinching out? And what do you reckon is the minimum space I can leave between seedlings. Thanks

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26 Jan 10 Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Taryn, in sub-tropical areas they should last well into autumn. You can plant now (January) to ensure they will grow through autumn, and start planting again in early spring.

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25 Jan 10 TD1 (Australia - temperate climate)

My sunflowers grew 6-7 foot, now im not sure what to do with the heads to retrieve the seeds?

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20 Jan 10 funkbunnt (Australia - temperate climate)

Ian Robertson I have grown a 3m tall sunflower this yeat with 30 flower heads! Im niot sure what the trick was - it was planted in November as a seeds in a spot near the potato bed which had been well manured with sheep poo!

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16 Jan 10 Celina (Australia - temperate climate)

We planted sunflowers in late January last year and they still came up, our first crop has just finished and we are about to plant some more, one head will give you about 500 seeds so dont buy any more 3kg bags for the birds if you have planted in 10 plants, to stop the bird put a paper bag over the top of the head to collect the seed

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11 Dec 09 Taryn (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

will they survive autum and spring i know they won't survive winter and they will survive summer but what about autum and springe!

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11 Dec 09 Taryn (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

peoplez don't plant the sunflower withs no shell plant the black ones (NO white ones!!!)

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17 Sep 09 helen (Australia - temperate climate)

I've heard of people putting an old stocking (nylon type) over sunflower seed heads to deter birds etc from eating the seeds (while they dry on the plant). Not sure if it works. Worth a try I spose.

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