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Happy growing!
36 Comments
I like the penny washers. Now that washers are going for around a quarter, its cheaper to use money. Oh the irony.
My Russian Mammoth are in full bloom still. Maybe in two or three weeks they'll be ready for harvest. The line on the ceiling is a good idea. It wouldn't work here around the wood stove. I'd need scaffolding for this ceiling.
I love your vifs. So glad this one is shorter so I have time to watch in it's entirety.
God's creation is so beautiful! How amazing! I grew the mammoth this year too, for the first time. I read to let the heads get yellow and the seeds start to get slightly loose so that's what I did. Not sure if it was the right thing but I'll learn from it as you say! I also grew the black oil sunflower. My chickens love them all. Some of my sunflowers had some caterpillars so those made the chickens happy as well, lol. I will definitely be growing these again. The kids loved them too.
Wouldn't it be easier to tie a bag or sheet of fine mesh netting around each sunflower head to ripen and fall either in the field or in your living room? That way you don't have to monitor each head so closely and you minimize loss.
birds eat mine before they get this mature
I just love this with my whole heart. ❤
Akiva Silver calls mulberry "the giving tree".
I think of sunflower as "the giving plant".
That's a good use for nearly worthless pennies! Hahaha
The gov't needs to stop producing them already!
Apparently over here they put old bed sheets/pillow cases over the best heads to let the heads dry on the stalk but stop the birds eating them all (my wife told me as she leant over my shoulder as I watched) 🙂
I have been staring at my mammoth sunflowers wondering when they will be ready. Thank you for this video. It was so helpful
penny washers lmfao, genius and way cheaper than the cost of an actual washer
I have a similar set up in a room in the basement, but instead of wood stove, which I don't have, I use a dehumidifier.
I never know how to harvest to eat for our selves?
Cut most of my sunflower heads already but the hanging from the stock idea is brilliant.
I am amazed that there is no bird browse on the heads. All of my sunflowers get eaten by birds and squirrels. I don't mind since I don't eat sunflower seeds that much. Having the goldfinches flowing in and out of the garden and enjoying the bounty is very gratifying.
Beautiful! Your ideas, comments and demonstration are so helpful as always. Thank you! I plan on growing sunflower next year and didn't know how to harvest or dry to preserve the crop and now I do! I've also wanted to learn more about amaranth and how to grow, harvest and collect seed and this was helpful somewhat with that as well.
I only managed to harvest a few heads- the birds got most of them.
Penny washers? Brilliant!
Perfect timing! I thought i needed to wait a lot longer but i see i can already take them to dry!
LOL even with a TON of sunflowers planted together – there is not one head that makes it to maturity for me that is not 80% taken by critters – my area is so heavy with chipmunks, squirrles and hungry sparrows – I see them all taking seeds – so for the ones I want to use for planting next year – I have to harvest very early and let it dry inside – so far they germinate …. SO wish I could have them outside as long as you !
I LOVE the plush cat bed! What a sweet way to think of them when not using the stove!!!
Did you take the ceiling out for the heat to rise through to the second floor more effectively?
Love listening to you — both your tone and word selections are satisfying. You share your harvest with wildlife ❤. I grew butternut squash last year (first time). Easy to grow and harvest, it’s also what a consider a good “survival crop”. You don’t need to eat or process this crop right away. It will store overwinter in the house with no special care. Also, it’s delicious! I’ve purchased amaranth seeds and look forward to growing those next year. Don’t know when to harvest or how to utilize amaranth yet!
Everything about sunflowers amazes me! Went a little crazy with them this year and will have enough seed to go off the deep end next year 😉
Thanks to the Edible Acres crew for great content as always and that Sauron flower is quite the specimen!
Interested to see more content on sunflowers. Thoughts on how they effect soil, using them to trellis other plants, drying the stalks for a light construction material…
Excellent enjoy!
I just like listening to your calming voice.
💖🌻🌻🌻 ?? @3:35 What is the devise in the lower 1/2 of the shot that has 2 "eyes and a grey button nose? Lovely harvest!
I noticed in your living room you have an alarm sensor in the corner of your ceiling- I think your sunflowers may set your alarm off! 😂
My sunflowers are ready to come in, but had to get my flint corn in ahead of all of the torrential rain we're supposed to have over the next few days. Between the two, I expected the sunflowers to handle it better. Great way to harvest and hang them. I already have plans for my stalks, but I can probably sacrifice a bit to allow for this method. Then it's just figuring out where to hang them… 🙃
Great stuff! Did you buy pre-packaged seed for planting? I've heard that sunflower crops need pre-packaged seed to produce the large, uniform seeds we are accustomed to in stores? Otherwise, they tend to be like hybrid corn and produce random sizing? I'm asking because I've never tried planting the seeds we get at health food stores as planting seeds. Just something I read about?
Also, are you possessed of some type of hulling machinery, or a 'home-hulling' trick that saves the incredible labor needed to shell them by hand? Thanks, John
One more tid-bit for everyone; Sunflower stalks and leaves/heads, are supposed to be extremely rich in phosphorus, so make absolutely sure to plow them back in, or of course compost them!
Thanks for posting!
Thank you 🙂
I've been harvesting lettuce seed for the first time this season and watching your videos. I have kind of a dumb question. Why are we winnowing these seeds? I have a jar full of seeds and fluff, and I could take them outside and spend a bunch of time getting the fluff off, and I know there must be a reason why people do this, but I can't figure it out. Why not just plant the fluff and the seeds all together in the spring?
Nice!