Sunflowers, Take 3

Two years ago I tried to grow sunflowers from seeds bought online.  Out of 50 seeds planted directly into the ground I got just one good plant.  A ten foot tall mammoth grey stripe sunflower.  Most of the seeds were sniffed out and eaten by one or another neighborhood critter, but I collected the seeds from that one, 10-foot sunflower and planted many again last year.  

Same problem, the seeds got dug up and eaten by some critter even though I caged the areas.  Even the ones that managed to grow got bitten off eventually.  No sunflowers last year.

So this year I decided to start them inside rather than sow directly.  Using 24 toilet paper tubes, a plastic bag, a cardboard box and some dirt, I used the same seeds from that first 10-foot tall sunflower and surprisingly, to me anyway, all 24 seeds sprouted.

I was unsure of how much I should let them grow before I planted them.  I didn't want to hinder their taproot, and I said I should research further but I didn't.  We started planting when they got close to or as tall as the cardboard tube they were planted in.  They've grown at different rates, though, so we planted them a couple times over the last week.  So far it seems to be working out well.

I have them planted in clusters since they need to be caged for protection.  There are two in front, near the base of the shepherd's hook holding the bird feeder.  The thought was that the shepherd's hook could be support, if needed, and the birds could do whatever and maybe feast upon seeds later in the summer.

In the back, there are two clusters of three seedlings planted in that same corner that we got the original sunflower, by the house and porch behind the steps.  Three more on the other side of the steps, shown here with the gnome.  Two clusters of three in the tree stump area along the fence, and two at the back corner of the garage by the gardens, also shown here.  And today I planted two more in a big pot that I placed by the garage.

That's 21 seedlings planted so far, and every one of them is looking really good, still.  

That leaves 3 seedlings.

They're getting there, but definitely a bit behind the others.  Thankfully, though, this gives me a bit of time to figure out what to do with them.  I just don't know where I could really fit 3 more sunflowers, and I already bought a big pot to fit a couple more in around here. (And we'll see how they even grow, in a pot.)

But I had the thought to take them to work.  I can take a cage in and let a group help me plant them in the back yard by the fence, in case support is needed again, and hopefully we can watch them grow big and tall over the summer.  

They can get a lot of joy out of simple things like that, and that's a good lesson for me.