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Grass Valley, CA

Hi folks. I'm new to this forum and to the world of giant sunflowers. I have been trying to determine what the CA state record is for tallest sunflower. Can anyone tell me what it is or where I might find this information? Also, is there a formal competition in California for tall sunflowers? (Aside from the "nature's oddities" contests included in county and ag district fairs.) Seems like this might be impractical due to the difficulty of transporting very tall plants?

I appreciate any information you can share with me on this topic. On a separate note, I saw another thread where someone was trying to find a place to buy reasonably-priced seed for giant head sunflowers. I don't know what folks consider to be a fair price, but if you haven't already done so you might want to check out the shop on this website: Pumpkinrick.com. Full disclosure: Rick is my cousin. He's been encouraging me to grow tall sunflowers, though I'm thinking it is probably more practical to try growing the ones with giant heads.

9/25/2025 3:59:50 PM

Syracuse, NY

Umm, well, not what yer looking for, but at least, what the whole world is now up against;

THE record sunflower for height thus far:

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2025/9/tallest-sunflower-as-high-as-a-three-storey-house-topples-decade-old-record

I really couldn't find a definitive source for sunflower info that was an all-in-one stop for it, especially for California,
but I did see a reference to the California Growers' Club...

Anyway, those seeds your Rick has are not a bad deal and anyone starting out thinking they will quickly grow anything the biggest/tallest
right away probably won't, unfortunately. We've ALL thought that, lol. With a lit-tle luck, though...

[Last edit: 09/26/25 1:09:59 AM]

9/26/2025 1:02:28 AM

Syracuse, NY

Google, verbatim:
does the great pumpkin commonwealth record sunflowers in california "2024"

This may be totally INCorrECT, as even I have seen info by Google AI that was the opposite to what I knew to be true, lol.
Also:
who records tall and giant sunflower results

It depends on what you wanna do;
The tallest is pretty much out of reach (Ha ha ha) and I, myself bought some Big-Headed (Like looking in a mirror, last year, ha ha)
seeds from the OVGPG (Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers) and they were a good deal, sprouted most of them did and one I had was
at least 10 feet high; They all did not get great growing conditions and I was just happy to have ANY of them 'do their thing', lol.

Go here and click on 'em;
https://ohiovalleygiantpumpkingrowers.com/store/

And here:
https://www.worldclassgardening.com/products/seeds/sunflower_tall

And here:
https://www.worldclassgardening.com/products/seeds/sunflower_width

Get as many as you can afford, as not all seeds might sprout; NO ONE can guarantee 100% - The seeds look the same whether full or not.
Tell Cousin Rick that if he CAN, put a 'Click Me' on each of the initial pics of all the products...
and be sure that the seed quantity is evident.
Even I (Lol...yeah, right!) wasn't smart enough to click further for more info...
I thought it was like 'Here. They're 15 bucks.' >>>That is supposed to be funny<<<, lol.
It is me. I actually started to type 'Search' into the Search window...Time for bed!
Laters, and Great Luck! eric g

[Last edit: 09/26/25 1:23:22 AM]

9/26/2025 1:02:42 AM

Grass Valley, CA

Eric, Thank you for your response and info. I'm sure I did a lot of things wrong on my first attempt to grow a giant anything. Got the seeds in the ground too late in season, for one. (When I realized the plants would be too big for my veggie garden, I prepped some beds in our orchard. But that took longer than expected.) The one plant that survived grew from the seeds of a 23' 10" plant. My survivor grew to 12' 3". If it had gotten any taller, I wouldn't have been able to stake it up anyway since I'm of the age where I don't do ladders anymore. At least the neighbors were impressed with the plant when they drove by. It was fun trying to grow a giant, and I do believe I'll try growing big-headed plants next year. Thanks again for the intel.

10/19/2025 4:33:35 PM

Syracuse, NY

Well, there you are!
I've been sitting her this whole time, just waiting for your reply, and it was worth it!
JUST KIDDING!
Seriously, good luck with your future endeavors and even advising on what I don't even know much about gives me more ideas, just spinning off, for next year if I grow some Big-Headeds, lol---Take Care---eg

10/19/2025 9:55:33 PM