What is the process of growing sunflower seeds?

Sunflower seeds grow behind the yellow part of the sunflower. I buy sunflower seeds at Wal-Mart, as soon as February. They have very inexpensive seeds at 10 cents per package. These inexpensive seeds are usually open pollinated, or non-hybrid. This means that you can save some of the seeds for planting. Hybrid plants often produce more seeds, but those seeds are not usually good for planting. I plant sunflower seeds after the last frost where they will get full sunlight. By late fall, the seeds are mature, and I cut the flowers off the stalks, tie three or four of them together, and hang them up to dry. When dry, rubbing your hand hard over the flower will knock the seeds loose. They are still in their shells. Save some to plant next year. Eat the rest. Birds like the seeds a lot and will try to eat them off the plants.