Hidatsa Heirloom Sunflower

The Hidatsa Heirloom Sunflower is named for the Hidatsa Tribes who made their home in the Northern Plains along the Mississippi River’s floodplain.  Their style of companion planting with corn, maize, and squash varied slightly from the Wampanoag’s traditional Three Sisters Garden. The Hidatsa added sunflowers to their gardens and planted their seeds in a square pattern rather than the circular style of the Wampanoag.

No matter the shape of the garden, the technique is similar and certainly an early example of what we now call companion planting.  While the method is simple, the results can be dramatic.  Planting beneficial crops in close proximity not only encourages each plant to be healthier but makes the work of tending the garden easier and the harvest more bountiful.  Adding the Hidatsa Sunflower to a Three Sisters Garden infuses the space with bright beautiful color and helps to attract beneficial pollinators to the garden.

The Hidatsa Heirloom Sunflower can grow to an impressive height of eight feet tall. Each stalk will produce a large central flower head and several smaller heads on side-shooting stems. Its seeds are sizable enough to be harvested and used as food.  Here at 1840 Farm, we prefer to treat our heritage breed hens to the spent blooms.  Watching them enjoy their sunflower seed pinata on a sunny day is pure entertainment.