How to sow your free sunflower seeds - Six Months of Seeds
Grow stunning sunflowers from the free seed in our March 2021 subscriber edition of BBC Gardeners' World Magazine.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||
| Plant | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||
| Flowers | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||
| Cut Back | yes | yes |
Few plants can match the 'wow' factor that sunflowers bring to beds, borders and allotments. Their giant, cheery ray flowers brighten even the cloudiest of days and they're a big hit with pollinators, too. Then, later in the season, the seeds are a rich source of food for hungry birds.
Your March subscriber edition comes with a free double-pack of seeds of a wildflower Pollinator Mix and a sunflower Sunburst Mix from Mr Fothergill's. The Sunburst Mix will produce a glorious mix of flowers in vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow.
More on growing sunflowers
Follow our full sunflower Grow Guide and discover more gorgeous varieties to try, in our collection of March extras. Plus, save on further seed varieties and a cloche for protecting seedlings, with our subscriber-only offers.
Get the best possible results by following our step-by-step video sowing guide, below.
You Will Need
- Sunflower seeds
- 7cm pots
- 9cm pots
- Multi-purpose compost
- Pencil or dibber
- Plant label
- Watering can with rose attachment
Step 1
Pour multi-purpose compost into a small pot. Gently tamp it level to about 1cm below the rim, to leave room for watering.
Step 2
Push the seeds into the compost to a depth of around 1.5cm. Space them about 3cm apart from each other.
Step 3
Water using a small watering can with a rose, so the seeds are not dislodged.
Step 4
Pricking out: Gather your seedlings, some slight larger pots, fresh multi-purpose compost and a dibber. Fill one new pot with compost.
Step 5
Holding a seedling by a leaf, use the dibber to lever it out of the compost, taking care to bring all of the roots with it.
Step 6
Make a new hole for each seedling in the new pot, several centimetres apart, then lower in the seedlings. Firm in and water gently.
Step 7
Water well, using a watering can with a rose attachment.
Coming up - more free seeds
April: Tomato and basil
The taste of summer. Packs worth £4.80
- Tomato 'Red Cherry' - heavy crops of small fruits with delicious, sweet fruits flavour. Can be grown outside or in an unheated greenhouse
- Basil 'Lettuce Leaf' - this unusual basil bears enormous, frilly-edged leaves, which have a sweet aromatic flavour you can enjoy all summer long
May: Cosmos and carrot
A couple of classics in this double pack worth £5
- Cosmos 'Purity' - this much-loved favourite will give you a dazzling display of large white flowers right through summer. Also great for cut flowers
- Carrot 'Royal Chantenay 3' - sow direct in the ground, or in containers. Kids will love growing and eating this fast-growing variety and the small, sweet roots are delicious cooked whole
June: Zinnia and cornflower
Get speedy results with this colourful couple, worth £4.80
- Zinnia 'Early Wonder' – large dahlia-like blooms in a mix of showy, vibrant colours
- Cornflower 'Blue Ball' - easy to grow, with masses of bee-friendly blooms, cornflowers are the perfect cottage garden flower
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Thursday 28 August 2025, £185pp.
