The Magnificent Seven!

MY, HOW YOU'VE GROWN...

Here's an update on our first seedling, 7 days old today!

It's come a long way in just a week.

We've put some sand down to try and keep it safe from slugs, but there are much better defenses you can use - we'll be posting about our favourites soon, so keep checking back.

What a difference a day makes...

24 LITTLE HOURS
That's all it took for our first seedling to go from being barely visible, to this monster!

It's definitely showing signs of growth.

It's now got 6 other seedlings for company too - hopefully you're all enjoying similar success!

Tell us how yours are doing - drop us an email, we'd love to hear from you.

Free Seeds!

We've already given out 180 seeds!

The good news is, we're expecting some more in the next day or two, and there's just enough time for you to grab some and get them planted.

If you want to enter and live in the village or close to it, drop us an email at balcombesunflowercompetition@gmail.com, and we'll get some to you.

Of course if you can't wait to get started, or if you just want to mix things up a bit, feel free to use your own seeds - you can still enter them!

And they're off!

After planting on Saturday, just 4 days ago, our first seedling has emerged today - Let's hope the rest aren't too far behind!

 

We think it was being well protected from the local slug population by this friendly guy who stopped by to keep an eye on things.

If you have hedgehogs, it pays to look after them because they'll help you out by taking care of slugs and other garden pests. Plus, hedgehogs are in decline in the UK so they need all the help they can get.

You can help them out by making it easier for them to move between gardens - they'll easily find the odd gap here, and there and that will make their nightly travels that much easier.

We'll post some more hedghog friendly tips as things progress and slug control becomes more important!

Hopefully you're all having similar success with your Sunflowers - remember to keep us posted with your progress.

We're always happy to hear from you with any tips you want to share and we'll do our best to answer any Sunflower related questions you might have!

BUT MINE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT ALREADY!
If you've already got sunflowers growing and would like to enter the competition, drop us a line and we'll get you signed up. The official start date was 20th May, but that doesn't mean you're excluded if you had your sunflowers on the go before then.

And remember - you can always enter as a family, a group of friends or as a club/society.

Planting your Sunflowers

LET'S GET THINGS ROLLING WITH SOME TIPS ON PLANTING...
If you're taking part, feel free to email us photo's of your progress. We'll post them here to show your rivals how you're getting on!

ISN'T IT A BIT LATE TO PLANT SUNFLOWERS?
Mid to late May is perfect for sunflowers here in the UK. We've planted late May the past couple of years and have had great results, so there's no time to lose!

WHICH VARIETY SHOULD I PLANT?
We like to plant a few different varities The seeds we've given out with the flyers are Helianthus Kong, but we're also a bit partial to Mongolian Giant, Moonwalker, Earth Walker and a few of the other taller varieties.

GETTING STARTED
Before you jump in, make a note of the date so that you can keep a good record of your sunflower's progress. It sounds geeky because it is, but it's really useful, and if you know when they went in you can boast about how much they've grown since!

It's also a good idea to label your sunflowers so you know exactly where they are and what you've planted - if they're winners you might want more of the same!

CHOOSING WHERE TO PLANT
Pick a nice sunny spot for your sunflowers, or if you're putting them into pots you can move them around so they're always in the sun!

GETTING THEM IN THE GROUND
Plant a few seeds in a pot or directly into the ground leaving around 10cm or more between each seed. You don't need a giant pot for one or two seeds, you can pot them up later once they need a bit more room.

Make a hole around 12mm deep for each seed and then drop them in.

Cover lightly with soil or compost. You don't need to be too precise - sunflowers are pretty forgiving at this stage.

Water lightly.

WHAT NOW?
You should see the seedlings growing in about 7-10 days but don't panic if they take a little longer - it's all good.

Discard any weedy-looking plants along the way - nurture the strongest looking plants for the win!

PRO TIP: Cut down some plastic water bottles and place them over your seedlings to shield them from slugs and other pests. You can protect your sunflowers further by growing some companion plants like Marigolds or Nasturtiums to lure away those pesky critters!

Once they're up, some fine grit also makes a handy defence.

Seriously. Write the date down somewhere so next year you know exactly when to plant.

Also, if you're using plant tags make sure to use a permanent pen. Sounds obvious but it's easy enough to overlook and nothing's more annoying than suddenly having no idea which variety you planted where!

Well, maybe slug damage is more annoying but we'll get to that as things progress.

 

  MORE PRO TIPS COMING SOON

 WATCH THIS SPACE!

 We'll be posting the recipe for our potent organic pepper spray to help keep pests away, easy organic fertilizer brewing methods and 

lots of other useful stuff.

 

What's it all about?

SKY'S THE LIMIT!

Balcombe Sunflower Competition is a fun, friendly challenge that encourages village residents to go head to head in a bid to see who can grow the tallest flower.  

Why not get your neighbours involved and encourage some friendly rivalry?

 

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Open to children and adults, families and individuals, the competition is completely free to enter. If you live in the village we'll even give you some free seeds to get you started (if they don't run out!)

• Competition runs from 20th May - 9th September 
• 1st prize will go to the tallest sunflower 
• Runner-up and nicest flower awards also up for grabs

GET INVOLVED
If you're up for the challenge and fancy taking part then let us know - you'll find our contact details on the flyers and posters on display around the village, or you can email us at balcombesunflowercompetition@gmail.com.

Winners will be announced at the Balcombe Gardeners' Association Annual Show on 9th September. We'll be in touch nearer the time to see how everyone's getting on and make arrangements to confirm the tallest entries.

Feel free to email us if you've got any questions. 

Keep us up to date with how your sunflowers are doing - share your photos with us and make your neighbours green with envy!

 GOOD LUCK, GROW CRAZY!