Aimee Stern. I have been working with scientists and engineers on explaining their research and other work to the general public for almost a decade. I've explained the science of many things and how they connect to the real lives of real people.
Sunflower seeds are best sown outdoors directly into the garden. After planting, cover them with a screen, as the birds and animals love to dig the seeds out. You can also start them in a seedbed and transfer them when they are small. If you plant sunflowers indoors, use individual peat pots. Start two to three weeks before the last frost date for your area. Plant one or two seeds per pot, thinning to one before planting outdoors. If you grow them to feed the birds, look for seedlings growing near the base of last year's crop.
Sunflowers are perfect for Florida. You'll plant seeds in the summer for fall bloom. You need to look at the seed packet and just back out the number of days to maturity as it depends on the cultivar (type of sunflower) that you choose. Autumn Beauty takes 95 to 100 days.unflowers have deep taproots so it is important to turn over the soil and add compost to at least 2 feet deep. They are also heavy feeders so adding a slow release granular fertilizer to the soil will benefit the plants. Instead of amending the soil you can try to grow sunflowers in deep containers.