Free seeds, planters offered
Staff writer
Gardeners are calling 2021 the “Year of the Sunflower.”
Marilyn Jones of Peabody hopes to boost the growing of sunflowers by offering free seed Saturday in downtown Peabody.
She has been gathering large, empty mineral tubs from cattle feeders in the countryside. The tubs come in a variety of colors. Jones has prepared the tubs for use as planters by drilling holes near the bottom for water drainage.
She will distribute the planters and seeds at no charge in front of the Sunflower Theater — that is slated for renovation — and at Pop’s Diner beginning at 10 a.m.
Jones said the sunflowers are the short variety often used in cover crops. She hopes planters with sunflowers can line the historic streets of Peabody to coordinate with store windows painted with sunflowers.
The free seeds are available to everybody, not just Peabody residents.
“We are cleaning up the countryside and brightening our yards at the same time,” she said. “After all, it is the “year of the sunflower,” and Kansas is the sunflower state.”
If Jones gets a good response, she plans to repeat the distribution a week later.