How to Grow a Velvet Queen

Choose a planting site suited to growing Velvet Queen sunflowers. Select an open, freely draining bed with southerly exposure. Avoid areas where water pools for long periods of time or spots with an excessive amount of overhanging shrubbery, since both will negatively impact the plants.

Weed the bed and remove any large sticks, rocks or other debris. Break up with soil with a rotary tiller or by hand using a cultivating fork. Work the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches until it feels loose and friable with no large clumps or dirt clods.

Wait until the soil has warmed to at least 55 F to sow the Velvet Queen sunflower seeds. Create a series of 4-inch-deep furrows across the bed using a pointed hoe. Space the furrows six inches apart.

Space the seeds six inches apart in the furrow. Cover them with a 1/2-inch-deep layer of soil. Do not completely fill in the furrow until later after the seeds have germinated and begun to grow.

Water the Velvet Queen sunflower seeds to a depth of 3 inches immediately after sowing. After the initial watering, water once a week to a depth of 1 inch. Avoid overwatering or splashing water on the foliage once it emerges.

Watch for germination 10 to 14 days after sowing. Carefully push soil in around the base of the seedlings as they grow. Continue to bury the base of the seedlings until the furrow is completely filled. This will produce a very sturdy plant that is unlikely to bend or fall over.