Looks like somebody liked my sunflower seeds more than I did

Ok, so how do I protect them this time? And it looks like I will take some if you all are donating I am looking for monster stalks, the taller the better.

I am thinking about netting, fencing and using a full feeder of sunflower seed to distract them.

FYI - I was just talking to my brother about his cherry tree (he lives in North Seattle). They have netted the tree in years past and it seems like the birds and squirrels weren't phased. It was, however, hard for the people to get the cherries. Maybe there's a special netting "technique" that they didn't know about.

I like the distraction idea.

How about covering them with a cloche until they germinate and grow up a little? You can make an easy cloche by cutting the bottom off of a 2Liter pop bottle. Then you can wiggle it down into the soil, plus the opening keeps the air circulating. Then they store easy until next season. Stack - n - store pop bottle cloches.

I was thinking about that, and offering a feeder to keep them occupied. Now I have to collect pop bottles.

so I got a dozen or so cloches ready (we are a juice, vitamin water, and milk crew so the honest 2 liter bottle was in shor supply) and need to get the seed. Oh, a bird feeder has been placed near by. We shall see.

I started my sunflower seeds inside on a windowsill last year. They did fine when I planted them out. I wasn't planning on planting any this year, but I seem to have a few volunteers. Fine by me. ;)

Vitamin water bottles should work. You're just trying to keep the birds at bay, after all. You are a fast worker! It would have taken me a week to do all that.

Pony, that is lovely! I have not been successful with sunflowers since I've been in this house. I am determined this year. I usually leave them in the little pots too long and then they are stunted.
When I lived in my old house, I grew huge ones. One year I had a sunflower with three faces to the head! It was like a triple sunflower. The flower head was actually triangular with an entire flower on each face. cool.

This thread has made me want more sunflowers now. :D I have seeds, I guess I'll plunk them in some dirt tomorrow and see what happens. :)

Pix, I have Chianti, Mammoth and Autumn Beauty seeds- do you want any of them?

Thanks, Pony, but I have them! And more...unfortunately. How to choose??

I say start them all! Live large! hehe. ;)

I found 2 seedlings in the mix. all are in bottle cloches until they sprout. This mornings inspection seemed everything was intact.

I spent the time and our little raised bed is going nuts, and started cucumbers and giant Pumpkins in bags of soil no pot no mess just a water bottle over each.

Excellent! Glad the cloches are working. The last birdseed I got must not have been heat treated, or whatever they do to keep it from sprouting. I have all kinds of things coming up under the feeder, including some things that look like peas. I'm going to let some of them grow. There might be some sunflowers in the mix.

I don't use anything but black oil sunflower seed, as most of those mixes are not worth any more than there composted value. they attract pigeons where I live.

The only pigeons we have are the banded tailed pigeons. There is one pair who return every year to nest somewhere close by. They occasionally visit the feeder, but not very often. I get a mixture of seeds at the closest feed store and it attracts a variety of birds. It's the first time they've germinated, though.

Interestng. up here in the 'burbs its Rock Dove city if I use a mix with millet, so I get Black Oil Sunflower. Its what Seattle Audubon recommends for us city dwellers.

Boy, I sure wish I had "a pair" of band-tailed pigeons. From about the middle of April to the middle of June I have huge numbers. They help clean out my bird feeders in very short order. If Phoenix is around, that helps some as she chases them away but she is a lot happier on the pillows in the garage under less-than-favorable weather conditions. I feed mostly black oil but also the feed store mix. I get plenty of sprouts but don't cultivate them as I like some of the more exotic varieties better. I also get lots of sprouts of other stuff but consider those weeds too.

You have that many, Sharon? That's amazing! I have only ever seen two at a time here. I think they are so pretty with their yellow feel and their bill dipped in black. I've never seen them in a flock like the pigeons Rob is describing. (The 'city' pigeons')

City Pigeons = Rock Doves

Yes, I have more than a few band-tailed pigeons.

As a matter of fact, more than more than a few!

Wow! I never see these birds in the winter or fall, only in the late spring and summer. I wonder if they generally stay in the mountains. I've certainly never seen a group of them like that. No wonder they clean out your feeders!

I am the sunflower queen. I still have seeds for this one somewhere if anyone wants me to hunt them down. Keep in mind that the handsome gentleman in the photograph is 6'7"

Great picture!! That's more fun than a giant pumpkin any day . . .

Now that's a sunflower!

I planted giant pumpkins for my neighbor. Eight are up and showing second leaves. He's in a growing contest with another neighbor.

This thread inspired me to plant more sunflowers. But where am I going to put 9 Mammoths... eek. Maybe I'll just dig a random hole out in the front yard and plunk them in. hehe. I started a few Autumn Beauties too. My volunteer Chiantis are already a couple feet tall, at random places in the bed I had them in last year. It'll be interesting to see how many of them come true...

They do just fine in a group, Pony, and look better, too. Sunflower forest.

I'm just groaning about trying to dig a hole in our hard ground. hehe. Maybe my neighbor will help me- he actually enjoys digging.

That's funny about digging, Pony. Several years ago I was toiling outside digging fence post holes when a couple of Seattle friends stopped by. I of course put down my shovel to visit, and both guys immediately asked if they could dig a couple holes. As I happily sipped my beer in a lawn chair, they traded stories of all the trouble they had gotten into as children digging various things up. Before I knew it, they had dug a whole line of holes for the new fence. They were happy, I was happy. My husband was very happy when he got home from work, and no, I did not take credit for the holes. It would have taken me a week to do what they did in an afternoon.

Wow- I need friends like that to come visit me... :)

Here are the sunflowers I whined about earlier: