Seeds of Sunflower

[Kathy in GA]

Hi,

My Father came out a couple of months ago, and started platning seeds in my gardens. I asked him what they were and he said it was a "suprise". So Wonderful he is! He planted sunflower seeds.
I have not really gotten into sunflowers before, just a few here and there under the bird feeders.
I know how to harvest the seeds, but I need to know how to plant them.
Should I collect them from the sunflower and stratsisfy them in the fridge? Or just keep them in a cool dry place until next spring?
Or should I just plant them now?
Thanks
Kathy in Ga.

[Ann B.]

Kathy,

You really have a nice Dad!

Sunflower seeds do not need a cold period. A word of caution is to let the seeds dry out really well before you store them. Then store them in a brown paper bag in a dark place. Make sure it is where no critters can get to them.

If you have a lot of them, you might want to check them once in awhile to make sure they are not molding. This will happen if they are not dry enough.

Then plant them as soon as the ground is warm in the spring.

That is such a sweet surprise.