How to Harvest Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are an easy seed to harvest, however, you need to wait until the flower is completely dry before you can harvest the seeds easily. You can let the flowers dry on their own or you can cut the flowers and let them dry indoors. Either way, you still have to be careful to protect the seeds once the flowers have dried. Here’s the information you need to know to harvest sunflower seeds properly.

Table of Contents

Self-Drying on the Tree

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Wait until the flowers start to fade. You can harvest when the base of the flower starts to turn brown. However, if you grow your flowers in a humid climate, the flowers can become moldy and rotten (in this case, you’ll need to cut the base of the flowers when they’re yellow, and then put them in a greenhouse or barn for the flowers to grow). continue to dry). You should prepare for the drying process when the back of the flower base is yellow or golden brown. ^{[1] X Research Source}

To harvest sunflower seeds, you must wait for the flower base to dry completely. Otherwise, you won’t be able to separate the seeds from the flower base. Usually, within a few days of starting to wilt, sunflowers will be dry enough to be ready for harvest.
If you grow your flowers in a dry, sunny climate, it will be much easier to let the flowers dry on their own. However, if you are in a humid climate, you should consider cutting the flowers off the stems and drying them indoors.
Prepare to harvest when at least half of the yellow petals have fallen. The base of the flower should also droop and look dead but still have the seeds intact. That means the sunflower is perfectly dry.
Check seeds. Even if sunflower seeds are still attached to the base of the flower, they will soon separate. Sunflower seeds should be hard, with a characteristic black and white striped skin, or completely black, depending on the type of flower.

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Cover the flower base with a paper bag. ^{[2] X Research Source} Pile the paper bag onto the flower base and tie it lightly with twine or nylon thread to prevent it from coming off.

You can also use a bag made of thin cloth or similar breathable fabric, but do not use plastic bags because they do not allow air to circulate, causing the seeds to become moist. If it gets too wet, the seeds will rot or become moldy.
Wrapping the flower base in the bag will help prevent birds, squirrels, and other animals from sneakily “harvesting” the seeds before you. This also helps keep the seeds from falling to the ground.

Dry in the house

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Prepare flowers to dry. Sunflowers are ready to dry when the back of the flower base begins to turn a deep yellow or golden brown.

The flowers must be completely dry before harvesting the seeds. Once the flower base has dried, it will be very easy to harvest the seeds while it will be nearly impossible to harvest the seeds while the flower base is still damp.
By this time, most of the yellow petals have fallen and the base of the flower begins to droop or wilt.
Sunflower seeds should be hard and have a black and white striped shell or completely black, depending on the type of flower.

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Cover the flower base with a paper bag. Tie the brown paper bag to the flower base with twine, nylon thread, or twine.

Do not use plastic bags because plastic bags will not allow the flower base to “breathe”, causing moisture to accumulate in the bag. If there is too much moisture, the seeds will rot or mold, making them unusable.
If you don’t have a brown paper bag, you can use a thin fabric or similar breathable fabric.
Because drying indoors, you don’t have to worry about animals eating your seeds. However, you still have to cover the flower base with a paper bag to prevent the seeds from falling.

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Cut the flower base. ^{[3] X Research Source} Use sharp scissors or scissors to cut the flower base.

Leave a stalk of about 30 cm along with the base.
Be careful that the paper bag does not slip off during the cutting process.

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Hang the flower base upside down. Let the flower base continue to dry in a warm place.

Use twine or nylon thread to tie one end to the stem close to the base of the flower and the other to a hook, rod or hanger. Flowers will dry from the place of tie to two sides: stem and flower base.
Let the flowers dry indoors, in a dry, warm, and ventilated place to prevent moisture from accumulating. You should also hang flowers high, away from the ground or floor to keep rodents out.

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Check the base periodically. Every day, carefully open the bag and harvest the seeds that fall into the bag.

Store the seeds in an airtight container until all the seeds have been harvested from the base of the flower.

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After the flower base is completely dry, remove the bag. When the back of the flower base has turned dark brown and is completely dry, the sunflower seeds are ready to be harvested.

The drying process takes an average of one to four days, but can take longer, depending on when the base is cut and the environmental conditions where you dry the flowers.
Do not remove the paper bag until you are ready to harvest the seeds. Otherwise, the seeds will fall to the ground and you will lose quite a bit.

Harvesting and Storing Seeds

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Place the flower on a clean, flat surface. Place the flower base on a table or similar surface before removing the paper bag.

Harvest seeds from bags. If there are seeds in the bag, transfer the seeds to a bowl or container.

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Rub your hands over the seeds. To separate the seeds, simply rub them gently with your hand or a stiff vegetable brush. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If there is more than one flower bed to be harvested, you can hold one in each hand and gently rub it together.
Continue scrubbing until all the seeds are separated.

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Wash the seeds. Transfer the harvested seeds to a sieve and rinse them under cold running water.

Let the seeds dry completely before removing them from the sieve.
Washing the seeds removes dust and bacteria that may have been present on the seeds since the seeds were in the outside environment.

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Dry the seeds. Spread the seeds very thin on a thick towel and let the seeds dry naturally for a few hours.

You can also place the seeds on several layers of paper towels instead of using a towel. Either way, you must spread the seeds very thin, do not let the seeds overlap so that the seeds dry quickly.
When spreading seeds to dry, take care to remove foreign objects or damaged seeds.
Make sure the seeds are completely dry before proceeding to the next steps.

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Salt and roast the seeds if desired. ^{[5] X Research Source} If you want to eat it right away, you can salt and roast the seeds immediately after drying.

Soak the seeds overnight in brine (2l water and 60 to 125ml salt).
Alternatively, boil the seeds in a brine solution as above for 2 hours instead of soaking them overnight.
Dry the seeds on a dry, absorbent paper towel.
Spread the seeds very thinly on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius until the seeds are golden brown. Turn the seeds occasionally during baking.
Let the seeds dry completely.

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Store sunflower seeds in an airtight container. Place toasted or uncooked sunflower seeds in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Toasted sunflower seeds are best stored in the refrigerator and can last for several weeks.
Raw sunflower seeds can last for several months in the refrigerator or freezer, and of course, the longest shelf life in the freezer.

Things You Need

Brown paper or canvas bag
Twine, nylon thread or lanyard
Sharp scissors or tree shears
Sieve
Paper towels or thick towels
Medium or large pan
Closed box

Steps

Self-Drying on the Tree

Dry in the house

Harvesting and Storing Seeds

Things You Need

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