Frost-tender. Start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost; plant out 1 to 2 weeks after your last frost; sow outdoors up to 3 weeks after your last frost. First blooms 70 to 120 days from sowing.
Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest sunflowers where you live, from your own frost dates.
Open my planting calendarOpen the planting calendarAdd this crop to the calendar saved on this device
From seed to harvest
SowSeed goes inWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–2
Thin or plant outGive each plant roomWeek 2–4
BudsFlower buds showWeek 7–10
BloomIn full flowerWeek 10–17
Keep cuttingCut often for moreWeek 10–17
How to plant and grow
Sow after frost
Direct sow after the last frost once soil is at least 60 °F, in a spot with more than 6 hours of sun. Plant seeds about 1 inch deep, a bit deeper in sandy soil.
Or start in pots
To get a head start, sow in biodegradable pots 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. Plant the whole pot so the taproot is not disturbed.
Thin by height
Space 2 to 5 foot types about 6 inches apart, taller ones about a foot, giants about 2 feet, and branching types 18 to 24 inches. Leave 2 to 3 feet between rows.
Water around bloom
Keep seed moist until sprouts appear in 7 to 10 days. Plants tolerate some dry spells but need regular water in the weeks before and after flowering.
Sow in waves
Sow again every 2 to 3 weeks for steady blooms, since single-stem types flower once.
Guard seed heads
Birds and deer go after plants and seed. Use netting or bags over heads you want to save, and fence young plants where deer browse.
What you'll see: Leaves and shoot tips are torn off with ragged edges, often overnight, and hoof prints are nearby.
Prevent
A fence about 7 to 10 feet tall is the only dependable protection.
Put netting or wire cages around single plants.
Organic options
Fencing or netting. Start before deer get used to feeding on your plants.
Conventional options
Repellents made from putrescent egg solids reduce browsing for a while. Reapply often, rotate types, and use only a product labeled for food crops.
Photo: “Halyomorpha halys” by Gilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
Stink bugsPest
What you'll see: Shield-shaped green or brown bugs pierce pods and seeds. Okra pods curl and twist, and okra, lima bean and soybean seeds shrivel.
Prevent
Keep weeds near the garden cut low, and clear debris where adults spend the winter.
Check plants often and act early; numbers climb in late summer.
Organic options
Hand-pick bugs and crush the barrel-shaped egg clusters. There are no good organic sprays.
Conventional options
Permethrin or zeta-cypermethrin, if the crop is on the label.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Aphids on Kale leaf” by Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
AphidsPest
What you'll see: Clusters of small, soft-bodied green, black or gray insects on new shoots and under leaves. Leaves curl, and a sticky film may coat them.
Prevent
Check leaf undersides each week; a few aphids do little harm.
Pull nearby weeds, such as wild mustards, that feed aphids.
Grow flowers for lady beetles, lacewings and hover flies, and avoid broad sprays that kill them.
Organic options
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).
Conventional options
Malathion or permethrin, if the crop is on the label. These also kill the insects that eat aphids.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Powdery mildew 9” by Dmitry Brant, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
Powdery mildewDisease
What you'll see: White, powdery patches on the tops of leaves and on stems. Leaves yellow and dry, and fruit may ripen poorly.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties.
Give plants sun and space for air flow.
Remove badly infected leaves, and clear debris after harvest.
Organic options
Sulfur or potassium bicarbonate, from the first spots. Sulfur can burn some vine crops in heat, and never use it near an oil spray.
Neem oil. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Myclobutanil or propiconazole, if the crop is on the label.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
What you'll see: Yellow patches on top of leaves, often boxed in by the veins, with gray to purple fuzz underneath; on shallots, whitish-gray growth on older leaves. Leaves brown and die, worst in cool, wet weather.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties; basil sold as downy mildew resistant holds up far better.
Space plants, trellis vines and water at the base so leaves dry fast.
Remove and destroy infected plants promptly.
Organic options
Copper protects cucumber and melon leaves best when used before the disease arrives. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Chlorothalonil or mancozeb on vine crops, if labeled. On basil, home-garden sprays work poorly; grow resistant varieties.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.
The link opens this growing guide, so anyone can read it and look up their own planting dates.
FacebookShare this link on Facebook.XShare this link on X.LinkedInShare this link on LinkedIn.RedditShare this link on Reddit.PinterestShare this link on Pinterest.EmailEmail this link.Open your device's share menu.Copy the link to your clipboard.
Growing more than you can eat? Sell it at a farm stand. TallyTill takes cards and keeps count of what sells, and the Stand plan is free.
SowSeed goes inWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–2
Thin or plant outGive each plant roomWeek 2–4
BudsFlower buds showWeek 7–10
BloomIn full flowerWeek 10–17
Keep cuttingCut often for moreWeek 10–17
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
