Growing Things: Boost sunshine to prevent spindly sunflowers

Q: I had a problem this year with my sunflowers — they grew but were very spindly. The problem was so bad that I tried tying my sunflowers to stakes, but even then they kept falling over. What could have caused them to become so spindly?
A: It seems most likely that the sunflowers were not getting enough sun. Most sunflowers like to be in full sun for the majority of the day. If they are not, or are shaded, they will stretch for the sun so much that they make themselves spindly in the