Giant Sunflower

Well, my pumpkin growing season ended when my dog (who didn't eat the vine) but ate the irrigation hose that fed the plant. After licking my wounds and calling animal control, I was surprised to see a plant thriving on it's own.

This sunflower was grown at my kids' school in the garden. I planted it with a first grade class back in May. When school started last week, I dropped by the garden to see what was growing... not much except a 10' sunflower with 20" head on it.

This thing grew in a spot with plenty of sun and very little water.

Seeds from this plant should be ready by February.

Giant Sunflower

By now all you good pumpkin growers have plants that are thriving in the long days of summer. In years past I've grown a few large pumpkins. The largest at about 250# but most in the 100 pound range… big enough for people to say “wow!” but not large enough to be competitive.

A few years ago I started growing sunflowers for a few reasons but the deciding factor was space. I don’t have a whole lot of yard to spare for 4 months of the year and the space I can use is occupied by a voracious chewing puppy.

The nice thing about sunflowers is that they grow straight up, and come in a variety of sizes and colors and you can even grow them in a pot. In the picture is a (common 10 year-old) plant that is about 5 weeks into the season, and stands a little over 7’ tall. It has been growing at a rate of 15 inches a week with the help of ample water and some high nitrogen fertilizer. This plant was bred from a flower that I grew 2 years ago. It was 12’ tall with a flower that was 16” across

Eric Vossbrink's Giant Sunflower

Good afternoon, Pumpkinistas!

This in from Eric Vossbrink in San Diego! Since, it's nice to grow other things besides pumpkins too. Plus, Eric's giving away seeds!

"Stuart

Although my pumpkin was small by many standards, here is a pretty good sunflower from the garden.

Width: It’s 16″ across. 18: with the fold
Weight 9.4 lbs.
Height of plant: 10′4″
Circumference of the stem at root ball 8.75″

This plant was a monster to get out of the ground. I had to cut it down rather than knock it over and pull it out by the roots.
We took out 14 plants today many heads at 12” or more.

Anyone wanting seeds from this one can contact me at this page:

http://erichasissues.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/giant-sunflower/

Leave a comment and I’ll contact anyone interested."