My common sense tells me no, but I've never tried it. Just thought I'd ask to confirm, or maybe learn otherwise.

Hi and Welcome to ATP!

According to the Winter Sown Database, yes they can. That said, if you do indeed winter sow, make sure they are in a squirrel proof container! Those guys can smell Sunflower Seeds a mile away.

Thanks for your reply. Good to know, I have a lot of sunflower seeds which need to be planted. I never seem to get around to doing it in the spring cause they become low priority with so much else to do.

Welcome to ATP, RockGardner ! I haven't wintersown sunflower seeds, but I would have to think they could be... based on the fact that a LOT of the seeds from our birdfeeders sprout in the spring!

I've successfully wintersown sunflowers, but I did wait till late winter to sow them. I was concerned that a few warm days in winter would stimulate early germination, and the return of cold temps would do them in. I don't know if it was a valid concern, just knowing sunflowers germinate quickly with warmth I thought it safer.

I had even greater concerns. Believing possibly that the cold/warm fluctuating temperatures in general, even if they didn't sprout, would harm them enough so they would not eventually germinate. Their outer shell is so soft, any dampness/drying cycle may cause them to rot. I've decided to try anyway, maybe experiment with multiple sowings over the next 4 months.

While I haven't tried planting sunflowers in the winter... My experiences with them suggest that they know when to come up...

Down where I am in GA... I can take the seeds of most veggies... and plant them as soon as they mature... and they come up.

This means multiple generations in the same year!

Not so with sunflowers...

Any sunflower seeds from the current year... wait until next year to come up... even though there is plenty of time!

I suspect that winter sown sunflower seed would lie dormant... until the correct time for growth, and probably get over-planted...

I grew sunflowers back in 2009. I just planted seeds in spring. I did not plant them again. But, for years after that I had lots of volunteers. So it would seem winter sowing should work. If I were to winter sow some I would sow them out where I wanted them to grow, not in a container. Just what I would do

I'm always amazed at how the seeds know it's 'safe' to come up when I Winter Sow.

jvdubb said:I grew sunflowers back in 2009. I just planted seeds in spring. I did not plant them again. But, for years after that I had lots of volunteers. So it would seem winter sowing should work. If I were to winter sow some I would sow them out where I wanted them to grow, not in a container. Just what I would do

Very encouraging! And yes, I do plan on planting the seeds in the ground (with protection), and in an area with plenty of sun and space.

With most any method of seed starting I'm using, I like to reserve a few seeds as a back up, just in case something goes wrong. Sounds like you've got plenty of seed, so it's fun to experiment a bit

Gerry, if you're planting right in the ground I really think you will have no problems with the sunflowers. (I'd do that myself but I'd have to shovel too much snow to get to the ground )