Hi all, I am new to this area of the forum and a month old the the whole forum.

I hope this is the right placed to post this, please move if not, but yesterday I received 20 Mammoth Russian Sunflower seeds as a gift from a seed company when I ordered my pepper seeds.

After doing some research I think it would awesome to grow them and looking looking for advice on the best way on how to start the seeds. (My location is 6b and I live between Philadelphia, PA and Princeton, NJ). I think the last frost has past but who knows for the next 10 days the weath is creeping to the mid 60's at day and around 45-50 at night. I also have a grow light and familiar with germination now if it needs indoor germination and such.

1.) How do I start them if sowing indoors or should I just place them outdoors with direct sow....if the last frost has passed? (I am getting the hang of tomatoes and peppers germination now but thinking if there is something different with this?)

2.)I plan on putting them directly into my soil and wondering if any special fertilizer is needed and mulch ect...? And what about watering?

3.) I heard they attract bees & birds and such, could this be harmfull or helpful to my tomatoes and peppers? If harmful or helpfull, how close/far should they be to my tomatoes & peppers

4.) I only really have room for about 3-4 sunflower plants (since I Heard they get up to 10 feet+) and have 20 seeds so how many seeds should I start for a sucessfull germination per plant?

5.) Is there anything else that I need to know that would help me get to a great start?

Many thanks and sorry for so many questions but this is a first for me but really looking forward to it since I love sunflower seeds and the look of them.

Many thanks in advance,

- Mr Beno