Friday 20 March 2009

Sunflowers


I grow sunflowers for the chooks. They make nice big natural dinnerplates for them to eat from. They get food scraps, a couple of cups of grain and a sunflower or two, though this one pictured was big enough for one days dinner. They're easy to grow and now spring up wild in the garden due to wild birds giving them a hammering before I get to them and scattering seed. The leaves and stems I toss over the fence and the goats munch on them. If there's any stems left (sometimes they chew those too) I let them dry out and use them as kindling. A plant with multiple uses and 100% useability... love it. Oh, and they don't look half bad while they're growing either, and Caleb still loves to draw wonky looking smiley faces in the heads.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, you're sunflowers are just gorgeous! You've inspired me to make sure we grow some next summer...I also hear sunflower sprouts are also quite nice to eat and one of the easiest seeds to sprout. One to add to your 101 uses for sunflowers!

Cheers,

Ally
www.happyearth.com.au

Jan Morrison said...

Most excellent. I love that you are in opposite season as it gives me an opportunity to try what you try without waiting a year! I don't know how you keep your chooks from eating the seeds you plant though. Mine just roam all over the place but I guess as spring gets underway I might want to re-think that. I love looking out any window and seeing them though. Makes me happy.

Sue said...

What gorgeous flowers! It's almost time for us to plant again and I can't wait to watch them grow!