Growing sunflowers is a lovely thing to do at the moment with your little ones, be they school age or younger there’s something for everyone with a little bit of green finger fun. So get outside if you can and give yourself some time for mindfulness and vitamin D on your doorstop. Yummikeys are giving away a packet of sunflower seeds with every purchase in April and May to spread some summer cheer. We're also giving 5% of all sales to Women's Aid and For the Love of Scrubs.
Sunflowers are really easy to grow and you should see some fast results with these tips.
- Mud glorious mud. Let your little people dig around in the soil before you start. It saves you a job of loosening it up and they’ll be happy.
- The clue is in the name. Sunflowers will be happiest if they have 6-8 hours of sunshine a day so choose your planting position wisely. Also pick somewhere sheltered as they can blow over in the wind.
- Sunflowers don't like to be transplanted so sow the seeds straight into the bed about 6 inches apart and 1 to 2 inches deep. Keep them well watered until you see sprouts after a week or so. As they get taller they’ll need a cane for support.
- Label your plants. This can be a morning long activity. The age old lolly pop stick is a reliable favourite but kids could also paint stones to label their flowers or decorate the bed with “treasures” (read random shells, stones and buttons in the this household).
- Plants need food too! While some of us are getting heavily into snacking during lockdown once a week is plenty for watering your sunflowers.
- Slugs love sunflowers so you might like to protect your shoots with a plastic bottle cut in half.
- Why not make sunflowers the theme of your day and get your kids into some sunflower crafts? They could paint pictures of your sunflowers or who can resist making a picture with glue and pasta shapes?!
- Don’t waste the seeds. After your sunflower has died its seeds from your sunflower will be popular with the birds. I see another toddler friendly project on the horizon…!
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