# How to Harvest Seeds From Native Sunflowers
Sunflowers are one of the most important food and oil crops native to the United States, according to Colorado State University. They grow all over the country in many varieties, but the giant food seed bearing sunflowers are some of the best known. Sunflower seeds mature long before they are ready to pick. Drying the sunflower head and seeds is important before picking them. Be sure to get to the sunflower seeds before the birds eat them all, however.
Things You'll Need
- Shears
- Cheesecloth
- Twine
- Hanger
Instructions
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1
Check the sunflowers heads in the late summer and early fall and wait for the back of the sunflower faces to turn down and the heads to turn yellow on the back. They are ready to pick at this point.
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2
Cut the stem of the sunflower with the shears with about 1 foot of stem attached to the head.
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3
Slip the head through a hanger and hang the seed head in a well-ventilated dry area free of pests.
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4
Wrap a large piece of cheesecloth around the face of the sunflower loosely and tie it in place with twine. The seeds will drop into the cheesecloth net when they are dry.
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1
Growing Sunflowers
- How to Farm Sunflowers
- How to Grow Sunflowers on a Trellis
- How to Harvest Giant Sunflowers
- How to Harvest Ripening Sunflowers
- How to Get Seeds From Sunflowers
- How to Harvest Sunflower Seeds From a Field
- How to Cultivate Sunflower Seeds
- How to Harvest & Roast Sunflower Seeds
- How Sunflower Seeds Are Taken From Sunflowers
- How to Make Bird Seed From Sunflowers
- How to Remove Seeds From Sunflowers
- How to Harvest Sunflower Seeds
