When do I plant sunflowers in Seattle?

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jlisiewski Seattle, WA Feb 22, 2010

I would like to plant some sunflowers this year, but I'm not sure when to plant them. It's been an unseasonably warm winter, and many trees are already starting to flower, which is unusual (I think trees don't usually flower until mid March).

Given that, should I start planting seeds? I'm interested in sunflowers, peas, and green beans. The temperatures have been hovering at highs in the upper 40's to mid 50's (Fahrenheit) with typical lows in the low 40's (but tonight it's supposed to get down to 37 degrees F).

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dividedsky Indianapolis, IN(Zone 5b) Feb 23, 2010

Peas like cooler temperatures; beans and sunflowers are warm-season crops. This is determined by the temperature at which the seeds can germinate and the temperature at which the plants thrive.

Here's a resource for looking up your average last frost date: http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/

Typically, peas can be planted 35-56 days before the last frost date.
Beans and sunflowers can be planted 18-24 days after the last frost date.

If you contact your county cooperative extension service, or a university in the area with a strong agriculture program, they should be able to provide you with a vegetable planting guide that provides the ranges for planting specific vegetable seeds in your area.

If you're having warmer than average temperatures and get the itch to plant some seeds, it can't hurt to stick some seeds in the ground early and see what happens. Just as long as you know that a frost could come along and you might have to replant later.

I'm not familiar with your zone, but if you're still in the cool season, here's an article that can give you some ideas on what you can plant while there's still danger of cooler weather: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2305/

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