NasserHalaweh · CC BY 4.0
Sunflower
Plant·Helianthus annuus
Full sun
Sun
Medium
Water
Well-drained soil
Drainage
Zones 2–11
Hardiness
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a plant. It grows best in full sun and has moderate water needs. It grows well with common bean, corn maize and courgette marrow.
Through the year
Out of seasonLeafing outFloweringReady to harvestDying back
Works well with
from wiki dataWHAT IT NEEDS
Wants full sun
Needs moderate water
Needs well-drained soil
Prefers soil pH 6–7.5
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Prefers loam, sandy loam soil
Struggles in compacted soil
Draws up potassium, phosphorus, boron from deep in the soil
Adds a moderate amount of organic matter to the soil
Partners with mycorrhizal fungi to boost nutrient uptake
WHAT IT GIVES
Gives mulch biomass (high)
Gives seeds (high)
Gives nectar (high)
Gives pollen (high)
Provides potassium
Provides phosphorus
Provides boron
Attracts pollinators
Attracts birds
HOW IT GROWS
SIZE & SPACING
Herbaceous
Height60–300 cm
Spacing60 cm (min 30 cm)
Root depthDeep
Width30–90 cm
Width figures are rough estimates, the most variable measurement in our data.
AI estimate · accuracy improves as growers contribute corrections.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Propagate by seed
Difficulty
Establishes in about 0 yr
Self-seeds readily on its own
Where this comes from
Parsed11 Sept 2026
Confidence95%
Photograph NasserHalaweh · CC BY 4.0