What is the best way and time to harvest sunflower seeds?

Answer 1

You'll know when the seeds are ready to harvest because the back of the flower will turn brown or black and the seeds will look plump and have stripes. At this point you can cut the flowers and place them somewhere dry. I place mine in paper bags so if the seeds fall out, I can keep them. After a few days you can just rub the seeds out with your thumbs.
Good Luck

Answer 2

I'm not sure whether you want to harvest them for human food, bird food, or to plant. Not sure where you live. up in western WA state, now is a good time to harvest. If it's still relatively dry and frost-free weather where you live, you can harvest now.
I wait until the heads are a bit brown and shriveled looking before checking. Theseeds ripen pretty quick after the flower petals shrivel and turn brown. To be sure that the seeds are ripe, I take my thumbnail and prick out a seed. Ripe seeds will be hard and black, blackish grey with lighter stripes, or dark brown, and they will easily come out of the head when you dig it out with your thumb. Then I just cut off the head and put it in a brown paper bag.

Answer 3

You can begin to harvest sunflower seeds as soon as the centre flowers turn brown or the backs of the heads turn yellow, to prevent birds from stealing them. Cut them, leaving a piece of stem to hang them in a well ventilated place to finish drying. Cover them with netting, paper sacks with holes or cheesecloth to catch falling seeds as they dry.

They can be allowed to dry on the stalk, but you'll have to cover them this way to keep the birds from eating them all before you can harvest them for yourself. Good Luck !

Answer 4

All the previous answers were fine but if you wanted to grow for next year remember that if the parent plant was an F1 hybrid it will not produce identical offspring but as most sunflowers are grown for fun it could be interesting seeing what comes up. By the way, mice love them too and they can chew through plastic so store inside or in tins.

Answer 5

When the flower fads and falls off the the seeds are ready to harvest

Answer 6

After the flowers get drained(!) and the seeds are all brown black(many times in previous due summer), purely shrink the flower head off and dangle it up area down interior the cool and dark place, like interior your storage. After it dried thoroughly, positioned it in a brown paper bag and shake it. The seeds could come off truly.

Answer 7

When the flower has died. Cut off the head and separate the seeds putting them into a paper bag and then into a warmish place to dry off. They make good bird feed throughout the winter.

Answer 8

I always watch the squirrels! When they start to show an interest in the sunflowers, it's time to get the heads off (the sunflowers, not the squirrels!) and dried.

Answer 9

- Good question and lovely answers. You've enthused this non-gardener and I'm going to approach a neighbour for a sunflower head! I just need something to grow down a newly terraced garden, which will poke up where I can see it! Thank you.

Answer 10

when they are ripe and good to store or eat, after some warm good days of sunshine making them flower all the best in brown and yellow, all that before rain can tear them down, and best you do it by hand, that will train you too.