Harvesting, proper drying of sunflower seeds

[1Ping1]

Help please,

I have managed to grow some mediocure, at least by western standard sunflower plants. The flowers were looking great but never did get beyond medium in size. My question is how, what is the proper procedure for now taking them down and drying them, adding a little salt and having some edible seeds to munch on. Hope to include a pic or two but have never attached before so hope it works.

They are showing that they are done growing as some are turning from bright yellow to dead brown growth covering the seeds.

All help greatly appreciated in advance.

My plan was to cut the ones that look to be done, meaning turning brown and cut off and let dry but beyond that I am on uncharted territory.

[HooHaa]

'the google' is hardly rocket science.

in fact it is easier to use than thaivisa

http://www.wikihow.com/Harvest-Sunflower-Seeds

[1Ping1]

Thanks HooHaa for great link to google.

All I am lacking is the oven. About time to bite the bullet and buy one.........

Any idea why my flowers, while the plants are a good 3 plus meters tall have flowers that are medium to small sized at best? I was hoping for some large flower heads meaning some larger seeds. Not looking like its going to happen with the weather warming up now as some are starting to turn brown. Meaning it appears they have reached the end of their growing cycle. (I think)

[cooked]

Yes Thai sunflowers seeds hardly seem worth eating. I imported some seeds from Europe and they are much larger, but I just noticed that they are F1 hybrids, so we will see what happens when I resow.

I have waited until seeds started to fall out/get eaten by birds before harvesting, hanging them on a string is ok if you only have a small quantity.

There was a fashion in Europe for sunflowers with many, smaller heads on the same plant, I managed to get these back to large headed, single flower plants in two years of selection so I am hoping to do the same thing here.

[kickstart]

Sun flowers in Thailand come in different varieties ,the Thai's say the varieties with big heads ones known as jumbo yield more ,but lack bushel weight, ie small seeds,the smaller heads have bigger seeds.

As for harvesting wait until the heads have dropped and are dry and brittle then pick them as Cooked said the local birds like them .

If you goggle Lopburi sunflowers will come up ,this year seems to be a sunflower year, a lot being grown ,now our area is sounding like an all day Thai funereal farmers letting off bangers all day to scar off the pidgin's .

I guess you only have a few plants farmers use a combine ,to harvest them or pick them by hand and use a mobile thrasher to trash the seeds ,

then some dry the seeds on a sheet in the sun, bugger the oven job.

[rice555]

Hello All, this from the Korat Ag Show in Jan., they usually have a nice display

and some times have seed for sale.

rice555

[1Ping1]

Thanks All for great help.

Yeah, I only have about ten plants. All with medium sized heads, crowns, or whatever we call the seed flower.

So I am going to let them hang until dead, dry to the point of birds getting at them. Then, remove the seeds once dry, if I have read correctly, you can tell when dry enough as the seeds simply fall out when brushed lightly?

From there do I dry more or do I then soak in some salt water for a bit, not sure how long a bit is though, so help could be used there, and then lay back out in the sun to dry?. Loved the "bugger the oven" comment as I do not have one.

So does this sound like the right plan since obviously I am of the low tech variety gardener?

Truly greatly appreciate the help and your time in responding. Just would love to get me some edible dry salted seeds out of this deal. Even if small, I will give eating them a try, as my motto is, "if I cannot eat it, I do not grow it". I leave the flowers, non edible plants to the wife..................

[cooked]

I generally don't wait too long, you can hang them up before they are completely dry, the largest seeds on the outside dry first, the seeds in the middle are sometimes hardly worth taking.

[kickstart]

Thanks All for great help.

Yeah, I only have about ten plants. All with medium sized heads, crowns, or whatever we call the seed flower.

So I am going to let them hang until dead, dry to the point of birds getting at them. Then, remove the seeds once dry, if I have read correctly, you can tell when dry enough as the seeds simply fall out when brushed lightly?

From there do I dry more or do I then soak in some salt water for a bit, not sure how long a bit is though, so help could be used there, and then lay back out in the sun to dry?. Loved the "bugger the oven" comment as I do not have one.

So does this sound like the right plan since obviously I am of the low tech variety gardener?

Truly greatly appreciate the help and your time in responding. Just would love to get me some edible dry salted seeds out of this deal. Even if small, I will give eating them a try, as my motto is, "if I cannot eat it, I do not grow it". I leave the flowers, non edible plants to the wife..................

I would not call it low tech just a good cheap way of drying things ,the Thai way, nearly every thing that needs drying in the LOS is dryed in the sun.

As you said the seeds should fall out when brushed, might get a few of the seed pods ,as well but you could use a sieve to clean the seeds,

Try and bite the seeds if they are soft , dry in the sun ,if they are hard ,and shatter ,dry enough, all high tech stuff ,but if they are not dry enough when stored they will get a mould on them. No need to soak in water......unless some one else disagrees.

[1Ping1]

Thanks guys, great info and support. Low tech farmer will move forward with great advice.

Thanks Again