Requirements and Care

• Sunflowers require full sun and well-drained soil. Although sunflowers are drought-tolerant, they benefit from regular watering, especially when the plants are young. The soil shouldn't be soggy, and should dry between waterings. An inch every week is a good rule of thumb. Unless your soil is poor, sunflowers require no fertilizer. In that case, a small amount of compost dug into the soil or a light application of 5-10-10 fertilizer is adequate.
  
  

Planting

• Sunflower seeds are planted in late spring, after all danger of frost has passed and the ground is warm. To plant sunflower seeds, cultivate the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Rake the soil smooth, then make a shallow furrow with the corner of a hoe. Plant the seeds 6 inches apart with 12 to 18 inches between rows. Cover the seeds with 1/2 to 1 inch of soil and water immediately. The seeds should germinate in five to 10 days. Thin the sunflower seedlings when the plants are 3 to 4 inches tall. Space smaller varieties about a foot apart, and larger varieties 2 to 3 feet apart.
  
  

Uses

• Most home gardeners value sunflowers for the big, colorful blooms and easy growth habits. The seeds are harvested and roasted for snacking, or are left on the plant to provide winter food for birds. Commercially, sunflowers have a variety of useful purposes. Sunflower oil is a premium oil with a light color, high in unsaturated fats. Sunflower oil is used in margarines, cooking oils and snacks. In agricultural areas, sunflower is an effective and nutritious silage crop, similar to corn or alfalfa.
  
  

Varieties

• Dwarf sunflowers are a good choice for containers or small gardens, as dwarf varieties such as Sundance Kid and Elf top out at 12 to 24 inches, producing petite, 3- to 5-inch blooms. Kid Stuff is a small plant reaching heights of 32 inches with 10-inch flowers. Giant Sungold and Golden Pheasant are among several varieties in the 6-foot range. Giant Russian, Kong and Paul Bunyan are a few of several giant varieties that can reach heights of 12 feet, with huge, 20-inch blooms. Although all varieties produce seeds, tall varieties produce large seeds best for snacking.