How To

How to Plant Black Seed Sunflowers

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By an eHow Contributing Writer

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Stately, golden sunflowers swaying in the wind are a majestic sight. It's no wonder Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh featured these bright, bold flowers in several of his still life paintings. You can create a sunflower garden that would inspire any artist by planting black seed sunflowers. Also called black oil sunflower seeds, these seeds produce sturdy plants with long-lasting flowers. They are easy to grow in most gardens, and their blooms are perfect for cut flower arrangements. At harvest time, the seeds are a great snack for you or the local wildlife.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Black sunflower seeds
Hand trowel
Water
Sunny garden plot

Prepare the soil

Step 1

Choose a location that receives a minimum of six to eight hours of direct sunlight. Make sure the soil in this location drains well.
Step 2

Loosen the soil up to 2 inches deep using a hand trowel, and break up or remove large clumps.
Step 3

Dig a shallow trench between 1 and 2 inches deep with the tip of your trowel.
Step 4

Fill the trench with water, and allow it to drain.

Plant the seeds

Step 1

Place the seeds about 6 inches apart in the trench.
Step 2

Cover the seeds with 1/2-inch to 1 inch of soil.
Step 3

Lightly tamp the soil above your seeds to ensure it is making contact with the seeds.
Step 4

Water the soil again to remove air pockets around your seeds.

Tips & Warnings

Water the soil daily until the seeds sprout in seven to 10 days.
If your garden has poor, thin soil, add slow-acting granular fertilizer before planting the seeds.
Protect your plants from grazing deer by erecting a 36-inch chicken wire barrier supported by 6-foot bamboo stakes. Raise the wire as the plants grow. If you don't want birds and squirrels to eat the ripe seeds from your mature flowers, cover them with white polyspun garden fleece.