the few times we did it.. all the way back to childhood.. was direct sow ... we planted everything around mothers day in MI ...

squirrels never failed to steal the heads just before they were mature ... and frankly.. how do you prevent a squirrel.. who is on a mission from god ...

i dont know why you would need to start them early .... say.. indoors ... a few weeks in pots in the garage .. might earn you a few weeks .. but what will that be worth .. a lot of work.. though the learning curve may be enjoyable ..

in other words.. if you have nothing better to do.. mess around with them.. but if dds are.. life will get in the way.. just direct sow them ... [and if i recall properly. you have plenty to do... without making yourself more work ...]

ken

The only reason I would start them in pots early, is to keep the fresh seedlings from being eaten by some sprout-loving critter. Maybe a cloche-type cover would provide protection until the sprouts reach some size.

Re having plenty to do, my life has taken a drastic turn. I'm now living divorced, penniless, and jobless with my elderly mother. Fortunately, she has 11 acres that I can garden as able. Life throws serious curve balls.

Martha

Martha -- I'm sorry to hear about your struggles, I didn't know it was that bad. Are you looking to go back to work or are you throwing in the towel on your medical career?

I start sunflowers inside in plugs about 2-3 weeks before planting out date, I guess I could start in-ground but I've always just done it this way {shrug}. Although, I had a beautiful volunteer last year that bloomed at the same time as my plug starts, so maybe I am indeed making more work for myself.

I grow mine in the vegetable garden, which is fenced in. I don't have an over-abundance of squirrels here, my theory is the wildlife keeps the population in check, but the ones I have certainly can jump the fence if they so choose but I don't thing they choose too (I hope I didn't just jinx myself....). I've never noticed any critter damage to the sunflowers.

What is a problem is wind damage with the tall ones -- strong winds topple them. For this reason, I'm seeking out shorter cultivars. I'm trying the Dwarf Music Box series this year, and waiting for some catalogs to arrive so I can also see what else is available. I really like Jua Maya, only gets maybe 4-5' tall and nicely branches. I adore the Autumn Beauty series but they got something like 7-8' tall last year, I couldn't reach them to cut, and the wind did a number on them so I probably won't grow them this year. It's a blend, so it must just depend what seeds you pull out of the packet to sow -- I don't recall them ever getting that stately in previous years. But, if you're planting a lot and they can support each other, you may want to consider the Autumn Beauty.

Thanks for the reply. I hope I'm able to find the Gardenweb forums again. When I used my normal link, none of the forums have any posts. Everything is empty. Maybe it's a temporay glitch, since it appears you (mxk3) just posted earlier this morning. I got to this message through my Houzz messages.

Currently, I have thrown in the medical towel. Too much fraud and abusively long hours. Computerized medical records have created more work and rampant "copy-paste" documentation, which is false and a waste of time and space. That's he tip of the iceburg. An imbecile as an office manager, lazy partners, immensley complex patients (who I adored and vice versa), complete absence of administrative oversight or responsiveness, blah, blah, blah.

My husband fleeced me of all cash, spent the money that had been put aside for taxes, had an affair, and is getting much of my retirement savings as part of the settlement. My lawyer was/is a lazy slob. Once this is settled, I will be filing a formal complaint with the Michigan Bar Assoc.

I need to stop complaining, since it just puts me in a very bad emotional place.

I'm hoping to using the rest of my life to do my part to save the environment. Plant natives, educate locals on best farming/landscaping practices, volunteer in schools, etc. Anyone who hasn't heard of Dr. Doug Tallamy should look him up, and then share his video lectures with everyone you know.

I've also embarked on a project of growing gourmet mushrooms. Some I plantd in my yard (Wine Cap), some on logs (Shiitake), and now I have liquid culture for Lion's Mane, Chestnut, King Oyster, and Shiitake. If I'm successful with my first few attempts, I might expand.

Martha

• Martha -- I sent you a couple private messages, but who knows if you'll actually get them in all of H*z's wonkiness...