Sunflowers 2020

Hey everyone!

So I've been working on a sunflower garden this spring. I got the seeds from my University's dining hall last year.

I planted these around March 13th? And they started to sprout about a week later! (March 19th). Granted, it is warm in my room and it was warm in NYC (where I was!), but now I am in Massachusetts (under quarantine) and its been a bit chilly these past few days. I don't think I'll be able to leave these outside until May? Also, the garden I've tried to get ready for is a bit shady in the morning and very warm in the afternoon. It might be a bit sandy, so I've tried making and adding mulch, as well as more nutrient rich soil from parts of my backyard, and Earthworms! (More details soon).

I tried transplanting two of my plants early April (a small mistake oops). I re-potted them and left them in my room under a light again as it is significantly warmer! They seem to have some signs that they are cold (it didn't get below freezing, but there might be frost soon so better safe than sorry). Transplanting is hard because you have to make sure you don't break any of the roots (which I did a lot whoops).

I tried making a greenhouse out of clear plastic bottles, and they definitely worked, but only on relatively warmer days (where the weather was warmer than at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit...). I'll try transplanting these plants again in around early May-mid-May, when it gets warmer, and continuously check back with my DIY greenhouse in mind (details on DIY greenhouse later!)

^ is a photo of one of the first sprouts! (March 19th).

One of the plants that I translated into my garden a bit early. You can kind of tell that it's stressed because of the spots on the leaves and dark streaks on the stem (hope it survives :( ). (April 12th).

Some of the other plants! The ones on the bottom and the left are VERY leggy, but the one of the bottom is starting to thicken its stem. Probably means that it is doing well! (April 12th).