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sunflowers

WinniecatWinniecat Posts: 100
in Plants

Hi everyone

I would really like to grow some sunflowers this year but I have tried sowing direct in the past with no success - the seeds seem to disappear, maybe the birds nab them!

My question is can I start them off in pots in the greenhouse and plant out later? I have quite a few seeds but the packets all say to sow direct.

It's quite embarrassing really because most school children seem to be able to manage to grow them!

 

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I start them off in pots in the cold frame or mini greenhouse and plant out - when I plant them out into the garden I cut the top and bottom from plastic bottles and use the resulting 'sleeve'  to put over the plant to keep slugs off them - they love them when they're young and succulent - fortunately as they get bigger they grow little bristly hairs on the stems and leaves and that helps to keep the slugs away when they're too big for the plastic bottle 'sleeves'. 

     


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • WinniecatWinniecat Posts: 100

    Thanks Dove, I'll try that. Surely not another plant that slugs love? (sarcasm). Is now a good time to sow them?

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I'm going to do mine next week - they'll start off on the kitchen windowsill then go into the little lean-to greenhouse.  image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • GardenGrower11GardenGrower11 Posts: 312

    Usually start a few in pots, so I can plant them where needed later on. And I've got at least some established plants to go in the ground if slugs and snails have decimated the directly sown.

    But if you save the best seeds from previous years flowers, you'll have so many that you can afford to be more prolific in your sowing direct in to the garden.

  • BookertooBookertoo Posts: 1,306

    Never been a problem in pots to start with.  Most of the children who grow them, especially in school projects, do start them off in pots, and watch them on the classroom windowsill as they begin - planting out later to grow tall.

    Have fun. 

  • Fishy65Fishy65 Posts: 2,276

    Don't be embarrassed Winniecat - I can never grow them either. They reach about 5ft max image

  • BoaterBoater Posts: 241

    Good to hear people start them off in the greenhouse/coldframe/windowsill successfully. I got some freebie seeds for a dwarf variety that can grow in pots so I planted them direct in 40cm pots in my conservatory intending to just move the pots to the final position when it warms up a bit.

  • clairelindenclairelinden Posts: 1

    I started some last weekend, some in little greenhouse and some on kitchen windowsill. I've ne managed to get them to grow tall but determined this year! 

  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,496

    I always start in small pots in the greenhouse, then pot on and move outside when they are a foot tall approx. They ended up looking like this the other year..

    http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/Garden/file_zps51d25923.jpg

     

    http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/Garden/file_zps7bff85e6.jpg

     

    http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/Garden/IMG_2599_zpsg7bswtha.jpg

     

    http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/Garden/file_zpsfeb9a958.jpg

     

  • TesniTesni Posts: 163

    Great pics! I'm going to give sunflowers a go this year, so really interested in this thread.

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