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market-farming - Re: sunflowers

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Elizabeth Pike" <pike AT always-online.com>
  • To: <organicgrowing AT egroups.com>, "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: sunflowers
  • Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 10:05:35 -0500


As for types of sunflowers, we prefer pollenless varieties as regular
sunflowers drop alot of pollen to the chagrin of customers. We get all our
seed from Liberty www.libertyseed.com 2 of our pollenless favorites are
Double Shine (double petaled, resembles a giant coreopsis) & Moonbright
(traditional brown disk, yellow petals). Of the regular, pollen dropping
varieties, we like Autumn Beauty (6-8" heads) & Teddy Bear, which is as
Ericka stated, like a giant mum. It's larger cousin is the Giant Sungold.
We also dry sunflowers (Valentine 6" heads) to use for fall & Christmas
crafts. We grow the traditional Large Grey Striped (bird seed variety!) for
the 10"-12" heads we use to dry, decorate & sell as bird feeders in the fall
& as Christmas gifts.

All of the above seed will grow to 6', but planting closer will yeild
shorter & earlier flowers. When we plant large areas 1/4 acre, along the
edge where seed piles up, the flowers can be as small as 3", toward the
center 4'. If given enough room, they will branch out to form smaller
flowers. We use the smaller flowers in our regular garden bouquets.
Sunflowers are a hot market now & we're doubling the amount to plant this
year. They were always the first to go of everything on our tables at the
farmer's market.

Liz Pike
Morningstar Gardens
Pollocksville, North Carolina






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