Buying Bulk Sunflower Seeds for Planting in 2024

Have you thought about buying bulk sunflower seeds for planting this year? We hope to encourage you to grow your own large area of sunflowers and answer the questions that you might have.

Why You Should Buy Bulk Sunflower Seeds for Planting

We’d love to see more homesteaders grow large areas of sunflowers for many reasons. Here’s why.

1. A beautiful field of sunflower plants will make everyone’s day when they see them. 
2. Edible varieties will produce tasty seeds and you can eat the immature seed head too. 
3. Pollinators absolutely love large flower heads on sunflowers. 
4. Sunflower are great at regenerating land, especially contaminated land that needs cleanup. Sunflower fields are often grown on over-cultivated land these days.
5. You save money when you buy seed in bulk. You can also save some back for planting later, ensuring that you have seed for a future crop.
6. There’s a world wide sunflower seed shortage. Buying now to establish your own flowery fields is a good idea.

Edible Ornamental Vegetables

The wild sunflower is native to the southern regions of North America, including the United States. They were eaten by natives for thousands of generations before colonists settled the west.

To harvest sunflowers for food, you can cut the mature, large heads and leave them in a dry area. The seeds will dry so that you can pull them out, roast them, season them, and eat them as a snack. Store dried seeds in an airtight container until you’re ready to enjoy them. You could eat the raw sunflower seeds too.

Alternatively, cut the large heads before they are fully mature, and roast them over an open flame. Add just a little salt, and cut it into pieces to serve a nutty flavor with a meal.

Now, sunflowers are grown around the world mostly for their seed oil. They’re high in vitamin E, zinc, and selenium, and the provide low cost nutrition for many populations.

How Many Bulk Sunflower Seeds for Planting Are in 1 Lb?

There about 6400 sunflower seeds in a pound of seed. Keep this in mind when you’re looking to buy bulk sunflower seeds for planting.

How Many Pounds of Sunflower Seeds Do You Need Per Acre?

Which types of sunflowers are planted will play a role in answering this question.

Sunflower oil varieties (with higher oil content) should be planted around 22,000 seeds per acre. Those that are harvested for hulling and eating should be planted at approximately 15,000-20,000 per acre. Closer planting will demand more water and fertilizer.

How Much Does 1 Acre of Sunflowers Yield?

Environment largely plays a role in yield just like any other crop. Under optimal conditions, sunflower plants should yield around 70 bushels of seeds. There are 30 pounds of seeds per bushel for 2100 pounds of seeds produced in the acre.

According to EOS Data Analytics, “The world record sunflower yield of 184.68 bushels per acre was harvested in 2016 in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.”

Optimal Conditions

The successful formula for growing sunflowers is full sun, lots of nitrogen, and water. It doesn’t take much to get amazing results with sunflowers in your flower garden.

Pest pressure and nutrients are big factors in productivity for sunflowers. However, the greatest determining factor on final yield for sunflowers is water. Generally, an inch of water per week should suffice during the growing season. 

Did You Know About the Recent Sunflower Seed Shortage?

Sunflowers are mostly grown for their seed oil production around the world. They bring forth a low cost, mass-produced vegetable oil in the global market. Since 2020, we’ve seen a shortage in sunflower product for two main reasons. 

First, we saw sunflowers rot in fields due to manpower restrictions. This delay in product delivery disrupted the supply chain just like many other globally-traded crops.

Second, Ukraine was the largest exporter of sunflower seeds around the world, accounting for about 60% of the total market. Their exports were mostly shut down in 2021 due to war. This was yet another upset in the market.

Why Are Sunflower Seed So Expensive Now?

Supply and demand. Sunflower seed has become a trading commodity, just like coffee, tea, sugar, and cotton. Because there is a reduced supply, basic economics dictates a higher price.

Where You Can Buy Bulk Sunflower Seeds for Planting

First, these are smaller packs of yellow flower mixes of 20g each, but they’re half the price when you buy 5 packs or more. There are about 14 seeds per gram. That equals 280 seeds per pack or 1400 total when you purchase the 5 pack at the discounted sale price. That’s enough to get you started growing your own small sunflower field. 

Secondly, we like this variety pack with multiple colors and size sunflower heads. The package size is nice, and the unit price is affordable too. 

Next, you can also go to your local farm store and purchase a 40-50 pound bag of seeds for black oil sunflowers sold as animal feeds. This is an economical way to buy in bulk sunflower seeds for planting the largest of spaces.

Last, don’t forget that you can harvest your own seeds in bulk for future planting. Sometimes, you can find a bulk wildflowers mix that includes sunflowers.

Adding Bulk Sunflower Seeds for Planting to Your Homestead

• To plant sunflower seeds on your homestead, start by choosing a sunny location with well-drained soil. They need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to thrive. Prepare the soil by tilling to about 18″ and remove any rocks. Add organic matter like compost to improve soil fertility.
• Select sunflower varieties based on your preferences, such as height and flower size. Some common varieties include dwarf sunflowers, giant sunflowers, and colored sunflowers.
• Most importantly, plant sunflower seeds directly in the soil after the danger of frost has passed in your area. Sunflowers are warm-season plants, and they do well when planted in the warmer soil temperatures of late spring or early summer.
• Space the sunflower seeds according to the variety you’ve chosen. Typically, for larger varieties, plant seeds 6-12 inches apart and for smaller varieties, you can space them closer. Plant the seeds about 1 to 1.5 inches deep. Cover the seeds with soil and pat it down gently.
• Water the seeds well after planting. Keep the soil consistently moist until the seedlings emerge. Once established, sunflowers are quite drought-tolerant.
• Sunflowers generally don’t require a lot of fertilization. However, you can apply a balanced fertilizer during the growing season if your soil is lacking in nutrients.
• Keep an eye out for pests like aphids or diseases.  Young plants are usually more susceptible to pest damage. Treat any issues promptly to ensure the health of your sunflowers. 
• Finally, allow the sunflowers to mature and dry on the stalk. Harvest seeds once the flower heads have turned brown, and the back of the head turns yellow. Cut the flower heads and hang them upside down in a cool, dry place to finish drying. Once dry, you can extract the seeds.

Conclusion

I really hope this has encouraged you to get out there and plant a section of your property with bulk sunflower seeds. Our plan is to plant them so that they surround our main garden space for a beautiful framework of pollinators.

Happy growing!

Donna and her family have been homesteading for most of their 20+  years together in some shape or fashion. She currently lives on their 20 acre farm where they grow as much food as possible. What started as a just a few laying hens, has grown into large gardens, pastured poultry, pork, and lamb. They are continuously evolving their small farm to not suit their family’s needs, but also providing to their local community. Donna’s favorite part of the family farm is her self-built micro-dairy, where she gets to love on dairy cows while serving her local community. Milking, cheesemaking, and processing dairy have become the soul of their homestead and the center of their farm.