sunflower seeds

[Deb&Al]

hello,

i have about six giant sunflowers growing. you could make a circle with your arms and the flower head would barely fit into your arms. i got the seeds from seeds of change, and were they expansive, i think there were ten seeds in the package, for 2.50.

anyway, to keep the birds from eating the seeds, which they are starting to pick at them now, i bought some gauzy net type material and i was going to cover the sunflowers, but then i remember all the bees that are constantly on the sunflowers.

if i cover the heads to thwart the birds, will i get viable seed for next year if the bees do not finish pollinating the sunflower head? i don't need the hundreds of seeds for next year's planting, but i wanted to be able to save them for the birds, etc, in the winter.

thanks
debbie

[Mid Tn Mama]

You will need to have them polinated to get viable seeds. Can you watch for when the birds start to eat and then put the netting on?