How To Harvest Sunflower Seeds For Planting, Roasting & Feeding Birds

By Amanda Shepard

Sunflowers are a staple of the summer garden. They are tall and regal, looking down at the rest of the flowers and offering a source of food and nectar to any pollinator who stops by. Also a delight for the gardener, their grandiose blooms make a cheerful statement in almost any sunny spot. At the end of the season, it's easy to harvest sunflower seeds to dry for re-planting, baking up for a tasty snack, and re-purposing into suet cakes to feed the birds in the winter months.

Harvest Sunflower Seeds: Cutting

This is undoubtedly the easiest and quickest part of the process. Once your sunflowers have died back completely and the backs of the blooms are brown, it’s time to harvest. You’ll also notice the seeds are plump and somewhat loose. Cut the stalk with sharp scissors or pruners, about one foot down from the flower head, and place in a container that can catch any loose seeds.

Harvest Sunflower Seeds: Hanging To Dry

If you're worried about the birds eating all of your sunflower seeds before you get the chance to harvest, tie a paper bag over the blooms right in the garden. You can also cut the stalks before they are ready and hang them indoors to dry.

I cut my sunflower blooms and noticed that several of them weren’t quite ready for harvest yet. It wasn’t a problem – I simply tied them together with twine and hung them in a warm, dry area for five days.

Harvest Sunflower Seeds: Removing The Seeds

This is the most fun part (I think). There is something oddly satisfying about de-seeding a sunflower bloom. You can wear gloves or not, depending on your preference. Firmly rub the seed head over a bucket to catch the seeds. You’ll also get petals and other sunflower matter in with the seeds, which is fine; you will remove that later.

Drying Seeds For Re-Planting

If you’re planning on re-planting the seeds or making them into suet cakes, simply rinse the seeds in a colander and then pick out all the bits and pieces that aren’t seed. Line a shallow cardboard box or wooden crate with newspaper and paper towels and scatter the seeds in a single layer to dry, leaving space in between each seed.

Allow them to dry for several hours (or overnight). If you’re saving the seeds to re-plant, store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant. Label the container with the variety and the date you harvested. The seed will last for years if stored this way.

How To Make Suet Cakes With Sunflower Seeds

Your local bird population will certainly appreciate your homemade suet cakes, and if you compost this is a great way to use leftover beef fat. Making your own is really easy to do and a great way to give the birds healthy food during the colder months.

For The Birds

Fruit And Sunflower Seed Suet Cake Recipe

✂ · · ·

YieldsAbout 4 cups

Active Time~15 min

StoreFreezer

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef fat or lard
• 1 cup millet
• 1 cup chopped cherries, raisins, or crab apples
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons honey (optional)
• Small containers (sour cream, yogurt, or freezer tubs)

Directions

1. Melt the fat in a saucepan until completely liquid. Remove from heat and let sit for several minutes.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and fill the containers evenly.
3. Refrigerate until the cakes start to harden, then move to the freezer until you’re ready to feed the birds.

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Meadow tip: The bulk section of your local health food store lets you buy exactly what you need — or stock up so you can mix a fresh batch all winter long.

Grow Next Winter’s Bird Food

Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower Up to 12 ft tall — a songbird magnet with huge, seed-packed blooms Shop Seeds →

Mongolian Giant Sunflower Seeds twice the size of other varieties — ideal for birdfeeders Shop Seeds →

Shop All Sunflower Seeds →

Soaking, Drying & Baking Sunflower Seeds For Eating

Finally, something for you to eat! Roasting your harvest takes just three steps – an overnight soak in salted water, a few hours of drying, and a half hour in the oven.

From Your Harvest

Recipe For Roasted Sunflower Seeds

✂ · · ·

SoakOvernight

Oven325°F

Bake25–30 min

Ingredients

• Freshly harvested sunflower seeds
• 6 cups water
• ¼ cup salt (omit for unsalted)
• Olive oil & spices to finish (optional)

Directions

1. Soak seeds overnight in the salted water. Short on time? Bring water, salt, and seeds to a boil, then simmer 1 to 1½ hours.
2. Strain (don’t rinse) and pick out any petals and sunflower bits.
3. Dry the seeds on newspaper and paper towels for several hours.
4. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 25–30 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly browned and fragrant.
5. Eat them plain, or finish with a drizzle of olive oil and your favorite spices.

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Meadow tip: Roasted seeds keep for weeks in an airtight container — label the jar with your sunflower variety so you remember next season’s favorite.

Grow Next Year’s Snack

Mongolian Giant Sunflower 1-inch seeds made for roasting — the largest of all sunflowers Shop Seeds →

Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower The classic heirloom for harvesting, up to 12 ft tall Shop Seeds →

Shop All Sunflower Seeds →

Growing and harvesting sunflower seeds is a fantastic way to help out pollinators in the summer months. It's also a great way to continue feeding birds (and your family) into the winter months!