Harvest and dry sunflower seeds

This year my son got sunflower seeds at a children's birthday party. He planted them and from them a lot of beautiful flowers grew. Now we are harvesting our own seeds for next year.

Important in the harvest of sunflowers is that the flowers have withered and the petals have fallen off. Once the yellow leaves have left, you can start to dry them. There are different methods for this. I tried both. I left some of the sunflowers to dry. That's handy because you do not have a job with it. Only we have white seeds and early in the morning blackbirds and tits come and make our seeds over. The white seeds are very popular with birds. So if you want to keep a few sunflower seeds for yourself, you must protect the flowers. In addition, the flowers are getting wet again and again.

Flower heads dry

You get the best seeds from big flower heads. However, that probably also the birds know. We now divide the seeds: I left half of the flowers for them and cut off the flowers in the rest (about 20 cm below the flower) and hung upside down in a dry place. Wet seeds mold quickly, so I cut off the dry flowers on a sunny day. And here, too, birds are at work immediately.

It is recommended to draw curtains or nets for protection over the plant. This is out of the question for me, because I have to keep in mind that the birds get caught up in it. Plastic does not work? already on principle and because the seeds have to dry well ventilated. A paper bag with a few air holes is perfect for that. If the flowers are hanging overhead, dry, dissolved seeds fall directly into the bag.

Dry the seeds well

In good weather, the heads are well dried after two to three days. Then the seeds can be easily detached from the flower. I let the kernels dry inside on newsprint or kitchen towels. Afterwards I sort them. I use only very dry, very firm sunflower seeds without damage. The seeds must be kept very dry, dark and airy. Therefore I do not use glasses but homemade paper bags. Paper also absorbs residual moisture. Check the contents from time to time to make sure that there is no mold.

DIY: HARVESTING HOW TO HARVEST AND MAKE YOUR OWN SUNFLOWER SEEDS!!! | March 2024