how to save sunflower seeds

is it difficult to save sunflower seeds?

Are you curious about how difficult it is to save sunflower seeds? I was too! Can I be honest with you for a minute? I thought this was going to be much more complicated than it was! This was my first time growing sunflowers and I didn't want to let the seeds go to waste.

As our sunflowers began to die back, I left them alone to dry for several weeks before I removed the dead plants. I snipped off the dried heads and laid them flat on cookie sheets in our garage to dry for a few more weeks. Sunflower seeds are tempting food for mice and insects, so it is important to keep the area clean and

an important tip for saving sunflower seeds

This is where I learned my most important lesson: make sure the heads are fully dry before putting them in a storage tote! I began to worry that mice would be attracted to the drying seeds, so I rushed them a little bit… they looked fully dry, but apparently they weren’t! When I opened the tote this morning, everything was covered in mold. You have no idea how frustrated I was with myself. On the bright side, I still have a few heads that were drying and I can harvest from, but my biggest advice is to let them dry ((even longer than you think))!

I used gloves and a bucket to harvest the seeds

I gathered up the remaining head I gathered up the remaining dried sunflower blooms and used my gardening gloves to gently loosen the seeds into a bucket. They popped out easily with a tiny bit of effort! I plan on storing them in paper bags in my garage, just like the zinnias, cockscomb and marigolds.

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A post shared by M E G | Ninnescah Homestead (@ninnescah_made)

If you have ever saved sunflower seeds, comment below! If you have a friend with sunflowers that might benefit from this easy tutorial, please feel free to share!!!