Cultivating Sunshine: A Guide to Growing Sunflowers

Cultivating Sunshine: A Guide to Growing Sunflowers

Sunflowers, with their vibrant petals and towering stalks, are not just a symbol of summer but a testament to nature's brilliance. Growing sunflowers can be a rewarding experience, bringing a burst of sunshine to your garden. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you cultivate these golden beauties from seed to bloom.

1. Choose the Right Variety:

• There are numerous sunflower varieties, each with its unique characteristics. Common types include Giant Sunflowers, Dwarf Sunflowers, and Multi-Headed Sunflowers. Choose a variety that suits your space and aesthetic preferences.

2. Select a Sunlit Spot:

• Sunflowers thrive in full sunlight. Choose a location with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Ensure the soil is well-draining, as sunflowers don't fare well in waterlogged conditions.

3. Prepare the Soil:

• Sunflowers prefer moderately fertile soil. Work in organic matter like compost to enhance soil fertility and improve drainage. A slightly acidic to neutral pH range (6.0–7.5) is ideal.

4. Planting Sunflower Seeds:

• Sunflowers are usually grown from seeds directly sown into the soil. Plant the seeds about 1 to 2 inches deep, spaced according to the variety. Larger varieties may require more space.

5. Watering Routine:

• Water the seeds thoroughly after planting and maintain consistent moisture during the germination phase. Once established, sunflowers are relatively drought-tolerant, but regular watering helps promote optimal growth.

6. Provide Support for Taller Varieties:

• Some sunflower varieties can reach impressive heights. Consider providing support for taller varieties by staking or using garden twine to prevent them from toppling over in strong winds.

7. Fertilize Moderately:

• Sunflowers generally don't require excessive fertilization. A balanced, all-purpose fertilizer applied during planting and once during the growing season is usually sufficient.

8. Weed Control:

• Keep the area around your sunflowers free from weeds, as they can compete for nutrients and water. Mulching can help suppress weeds and retain soil moisture.

9. Deadheading for Continuous Blooms:

• Deadhead spent flowers regularly to encourage continuous blooming. This also redirects energy to the growth of new blooms rather than seed production.

10. Harvesting Sunflower Seeds: - Harvest sunflower seeds when the flower heads have matured and the back of the head turns yellow or brown. Cut the heads and allow them to dry in a well-ventilated area. Extract seeds for snacking or save them for planting the following season.

11. Enjoying Your Sunflowers: - Once your sunflowers are in full bloom, take the time to enjoy their radiant beauty. Whether used as cut flowers, a backdrop for your garden, or a source of seeds for wildlife, sunflowers bring joy and brightness to any space.

Growing sunflowers is a delightful journey that allows you to witness nature's brilliance unfold in your own backyard. With proper care and attention, your sunflower patch can become a beacon of sunshine, adding a touch of warmth and cheer to your outdoor space.

A Garlic Primer: Smell the "Stinking Rose"

 

 

A GARLIC PRIMER

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GROW YOUR OWN GARLIC

This small bulb has been used throughout history for medicinal use as well as consumption dating back as far as early Egyptian civilizations, and though its Syrian cousins have stolen the limelight, garlic is still a particularly powerful crop in Egypt. Tracing written connections through the Indus River Valley civilizations of modern Pakistan and India to a new home in China where it was praised as an aphrodisiac with life-lengthening qualities. Then to Portugal, France, and Spain where the crop once snubbed by ancient upper echelons became the ingredient a la mode for flavoring bland dishes, it then crossed the Atlantic to be a part of The New World.

What was once criticized as too volatile a food for consumption because of its alleged stimulant properties, the small bulbs have helped many races and generations ward of vampires, smallpox, and heart disease alike. Though the culinary use hasn't always invaded every cultures dinner plates, it has been used in a widespread fashion for medicinal purposes. Today, garlic is still a food recommended to patients with high risk associations for certain types of cancer for its richness in antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic vitamins in its raw form, and is also a great supplement for people suffering from heart disease and hypertension.

Garlic by classification is an allium, meaning it belongs to a family of flowering onion and leek plants. Though the history of garlic's medicinal us is long, following America's founding pilgrims back to their homelands, the use of garlic as a fairly mainstream ingredient in American food is relatively new. Spreading from traditionally ethnic neighborhoods like Brooklyn, New York, garlic found its way into American food most prevalently during early 1940s in an organic and slow osmosis. Today Americans alone consume around 250 million pounds of garlic annually. 

This spring, we encourage our readers to become a part of this historically and nutritiously rich herb and plant garlic of their own. If you can't plant it yourself, check in your local farmer's market for fresh, dried garlic for use in your own recipes. With colder weather lingering on, who doesn't want to curl up to a warm bowl of homemade minestrone and garlic bread?

 

HEATH'S GARLIC PLANTING TIPS

1) Plant garlic near the end of winter, after the fear of the ground freezing has ended. Garlic cloves will grow and lie dormant during the remainder of winter and mature in time for harvest in late summer. 
 

2) When planting, wait until just before planting to break apart bulbs. Cloves should cleanly remove from the basal plate. Plant very small cloves in a small group, but large bulbs singly. 
 

3) It's common practice to stop watering garlic plants upwards of three weeks before harvesting. 
 

4) To test the maturity of bulbs, scrape away the dirt from a few bulbs. Mature bulbs have cloves which can be felt through the skin. 
 

5) Garlic's flavor can be changed by overexposure to the sun after harvest, a process a lot like sunburn. It's best to store harvested baskets of garlic in a garden shed or barn. 
 

6) The top of garlic bulbs is called the scape. It has a lighter garlic flavor than cloves and can be prepared in sautéed dishes when chopped like green onion or served whole like asparagus.