Anyone raise from seed?

[RusticBohemian]

Is it too hard to raise plants from seeds in hard to maintain areas? For instance, there are these untended garden boxes next to the railroad. I was thinking of planting sunflower seeds in there. Would that work? Could I just put them in the soil, water them once, and hope they come up?

[grandmas legacy]

That sounds like a fun thing to put in planters near the RR.  Yes, they most likely will do well, use a shorter variety as opposed to the six to seven or more footers.  Since they tolerate dryer conditions, they should do okay.  And who knows, others may take a liking to them and provide water if needed.   After planting seeds, a light mulch of something like grass clippings would not hinder growth and would also aide in sprouting.  After they sprout you might add some heavier mulch.  Even stones or gravel would help conserve water, that should be easy to find along the tracks.