How to Save Sunflower Seeds

It's about the time of year when Sunflowers begin to dry out, & you can call me selfish but I really don't want the birds to get ALL of the sunflower seeds that drop out of the heads of my flowers & on to the ground. I have therefore covered the head of each of my sunflowers with the end of an old pair of tights:

This may look odd, but this way all the seeds are collected in the foot of the tights & the birds can't get to them before I do. I will save some of the seeds from the biggest sunflower for planting next year, & the rest of the seeds I will save to put in a bird feeder over the winter months. 

It is important that if you do this you use a material that is not too heavy for the flower heads, thin enough for dew to evaporate quickly from, but thick enough so that the birds don't peck through & pinch the seeds you are collecting. This is why I have chosen an old pair of tights, as it fits this criteria. 

It is far better to collect seeds this way than to cut the head off the flower, as the seeds drop once they are fully formed, so cutting the head off will stop the seeds reaching their full potential. Cutting the head off of the sunflower will mean that when you plant the seeds out after collecting them, only about 60% of the seeds will grow. However, collecting the seeds when they drop from the flower that is still in the ground will mean that about 97% of your seeds will grow up to be strong & beautiful sunflowers!