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.
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