Sunflowers in the Sunset

This weekend I unearthed an old wooden frame in the backyard and decided to try to plant something in it. The frame had been overgrown with grass, was contaminated with paint, and was cluttered with junk. I decided to try planting sunflower seeds from the store, something I'd always wanted to try (poppy seeds are next).

I picked up a bag of raw, shelled sunflower seeds from Trader Joe's for $2. The bag was filled with dry seeds, many of which were cracked. Not very promising.

I picked the junk out of my old frame, mowed the grass, and removed the roots with a hoe and some hard work. Raked the old, contaminated sand smooth. Then I got my four-year-old son, and told him that we were going to plant a LOT of seeds. We scattered them on thickly, leaving a seed probably every 1 square centimeter, on average. We put some potting soil on top, watered, and waited.

By yesterday, two days after planting, the seeds had started to put out roots already! Now I'm worried that I planted too many, since I understand that the ideal spacing is one sunflower every 6-12 inches. I usually have a burst of overconfidence at the start of every new project, though. We'll see how it goes.

I recommend this exercise highly, though. Taking these seeds from the store and watching them put out roots really drives home the fact that they are...seeds. I guess it says so right on the package, but somehow I didn't expect them to grow.