Sunflower Harvest

anyacolo

so my sunflower seeds appeared ready for harvest, i have been picking a seed off for the past 2 weeks to inspect them, and they seemed ready,

i cut all the heads off and put them in my basement to dry out before i remove the seeds, i read this method various places on the web, is this wrong?

after about 5 days sitting there, i picked a few seeds off to test them, and now the shells seem like they are a bit softer then before i cut the heads off,

im not sure the reasoning for this?

my basement is fairly cool and not overly humid (or so i think) maybe this was a mistake?....should i leave them outside instead?

is it okay to leave the seeds on the head like this after i cut the heads off?....or should i be removing the seeds right away?

i read i should let the seeds dry out for about a week before removing them from the head?

Last edited: 22 October 2017 21:46:13

Skandi

I can't say I've had any luck trying to dry sunflower heads, they just go soft as you have found and then quickly after moldy. I suspect the advice was written for people in traditional sunflower growing areas, i.e warm and dry! I've tried having them hung up on a line in a drafty barn and up in the attic, neither worked. I would personaly take the seeds from the head and dry them in the house. If you have the heating on then over a radiator may work for the whole heads, unfortunatly here sunflowers are done a good month before the heating gets put on.

anyacolo

thanks, i removed the seeds from the heads today, they were not as soft as i originally thought, but a little softer then when the head was on the plant,

the head itself was still very moist even after a week, i broke the head in half to remove the seeds easier and the head seemed soft and moist still, maybe i should have let it dry longer?