Find out when to harvest sunflowers for microgreens, cut flowers, and edible seeds.
Sunflowers are the unofficial mascots of summer with their sunny,golden-yellow petalsand oversized blooms.
Typically, sunflowers bloom about 70 to 100 days after seeds are planted.
Credit:Bob Stefko
This guide covers how long it takes to grow sunflowers for seeds, cut flowers, and even microgreens.
Sunflower Lifecycle
From seed to flower, sunflowers progress through five growth stages as they mature.
The exact time frame of these stages varies slightly depending on the pop in of sunflower.
Germination stage:Sunflower seeds take about 7 to 10 days to germinate.
During this time, the shell of the sunflower seed cracks open, and theseedling begins to develop roots.
Sunflower seedlings emerge from the soil and produce their first true leaves at this stage.
Sunflowers also grow their tall stalks during the vegetative stage.
Reproductive stage:After sunflowers reach a certain size, they develop flower buds.
These buds slowly unfurl, revealing the sunflowers colorful petals.
This reproductive state of sunflower development occurs about 5 to 10 weeks after the seeds are sown.
Blooming stage:When sunflower buds fully open, the plant has entered the blooming stage.
Typically, sunflowers bloom for about two to four weeks, but branching sunflower varieties bloom even longer.
Harvesting stage:After sunflowers bloom, their seeds begin to mature, which takes about a month.
This stage usually occurs from late August through September, about 125 days after the seeds are sown.
Bob Stefko
How Long Does it Take for Sunflowers to Grow for Harvesting?
Most seed packets include days to maturity details.
If youregrowing sunflowersfor microgreens or edible seeds, you should probably harvest the crop at different times.
Another thing to consider is that different sunflower varieties will mature quicker than others.
In comparison, giant sunflower types like Mammoth Grey Stripe can take 120 days to mature.
Typically, sunflower seeds mature about one month after the flowers open.
So, if your sunflowers bloom in August, the seeds are usually ready to harvest in September.
Sunflower seeds are fully ripe when the flower head begins to droop and turn backward on itself.
Mature seed heads turn golden brown; the seeds should have nicely formed shells.
Then, loosely bundle the sunflower stems with twine and hang them indoors until theyre completely dry.
Sunflower Growing Tips
Sunflowers are beginner-friendly plants that are easy to keep in gardens or container planters.
A sunflower seed and turmeric vinaigrette dressing makes abeet and radish saladeven more tasty.
Sunflower seeds are a must-have ingredient for these deliciousMostly Seeds Wheat Crackers.
OurQuick Seed Breadis a hearty, easy-to-make staple to keep on hand for quick breakfasts or afternoon snacks.
Sunflower seeds can be tossed on a green salad or roasted veggies for added crunch and nutty flavor.
