Dahlia Hotline

Tiny Tubers, Winter Growing, and Dahlia Storage Tips

Dahlia Farm Hotline: End-of-Season Burnout, Storage Supplies, and Winter Growing Decisions

Danlye from Vynehill in Minnesota and Christin from Black Penny Farms in Ohio talk through the end-of-season mindset: frost uncertainty, burnout, seed collecting, and how to make practical decisions before storage season begins. They also cover what to buy now, what to leave until spring, and whether bringing plants indoors for winter growing is worth the workload.

In this episode

• The emotional ups and downs of the dahlia season winding down
• Simple storage options, including shoeboxes and bulb crates
• Christin’s system for storing a large collection of varieties
• Why small tubers and pot tubers - are worth keeping
• What to consider before bringing greenery indoors for winter
• Whether to buy tubers now or wait for spring
• The work involved in winter growing
• Practical tasks to tackle before storage season

Timestamps

00:00 — The Dahlia Farm Hotline kicks off

00:38 — End-of-season burnout and frost anxiety

03:43 — Minnesota’s delayed frost changes the plan

05:22 — Content-day ideas and reducing mental load

07:16 — Your content style doesn’t have to stay the same

09:18 — Reusing content without starting from scratch

12:06 — What to do now to prepare for storage

13:34 — Christin’s shoebox storage system

15:13 — Using bulb crates for oversized clumps

16:42 — Saving hard-to-divide tuber clumps for spring

17:24 — Markers, flagging tape, and ordering supplies early

18:58 — Why cut-resistant gloves are a must

21:07 — Bringing greenery indoors for winter growing

24:20 — Christin’s dip method and pest control

26:44 — Why avoiding green material is usually best

31:17 — Should you buy tubers now or wait until spring?

35:28 — The workload of winter growing

37:37 — Don’t start cuttings too early

39:23 — How small is too small to store?

43:15 — Big tubers, rot risk, and the case for tiny tubers

46:33 — Planting small tubers in clumps or multiples

49:39 — Pot tubers as an easy-to-store option

51:28 — Homework: tag, sort, store, and plan

Key takeaways

• Store the tubers you want to keep—not just the ones that look perfect.
• If you’re new to storage, consider waiting until spring to buy more tubers.
• Bringing green material indoors can mean added work managing pests and mildew.
• Small, firm tubers with an eye may still be viable.
• Treat winter growing as a significant commitment, not just a side project.

Action items

• Keep tagging plants and collecting seed.
• Order storage supplies before you need them.
• Get cut-resistant gloves for dividing tubers.
• Review duplicates and varieties that are too similar.
• Note which colors you’d like to add next year.
• If your storage system is untested, consider waiting until spring to buy more tubers.

The conversation revolves around the experiences and challenges faced by two dahlia growers, Christin and Danlye, as they discuss their current activities in the field, including tagging, photographing, and preparing for winter growing. They share insights on plant care, mislabeling issues, and the importance of proper tagging to ensure successful blooms and accurate identification of their dahlias. The conversation delves into the intricacies of growing and storing dahlias, emphasizing the importance of understanding plant behavior in relation to seasonal changes and environmental factors. It also highlights practical experiences and lessons learned from gardening, particularly in managing tuber production and storage methods. The conversation focuses on the best practices for harvesting, storing, and preparing dahlias for the end of the growing season, emphasizing the importance of proper techniques to ensure healthy tubers and successful blooms in the following year.

Takeaways

• Importance of proper tagging
• Challenges of mislabeling plants Understanding seasonal plant behavior
• Effective dahlia storage techniques Proper storage techniques for tubers
• Importance of frost protection

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Dahlia Farming
• 00:56 Current Activities in the Field
• 03:00 Seedling Development and Breeding
• 04:45 Tagging and Identifying Plants
• 09:04 Weather Monitoring and Plant Care
• 12:57 Best Practices for Tagging Dahlias
• 17:05 Overwintering Dahlias and Experimentation
• 21:53 The Insulating Power of Snow
• 25:18 Learning Through Gardening Experiences
• 30:01 Fertilizing and Plant Care in Late Season
• 35:13 Storing Dahlias: Best Practices
• 41:44 Trial and Error in Gardening Solutions
• 47:08 Harvesting and Storing Tubers
• 52:36 Preparing for Frost and Season End
• 01:00:18 Dealing with Plant Diseases and Galls

Danlye Jones of Vynehill (zone 5a) and Christin Allen of Black Penny Farms (zone 6b) kick off Dahlia Hotline with an honest look at a brutal late-season dahlia year: flooding, drought, wind, spider mites, and rodents. Then they get practical about the decisions that still need to be made before digging season.

Whether you're a hobby grower with pots on a patio, a suburban farm, or running a full-sized flower farm, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• How to adapt your dahlia growing plan when the weather takes over
• Why the same variety performs differently in different soil, and why soil and leaf tissue tests matter
• Spider mites in drought and heat, plus rodent and raccoon damage
• A drill-and-auger method for planting dahlias and bulbs
• How to photograph and label dahlia varieties before fall changes them
• When to dig dahlia tubers, and why there's no single right date
• How to store dahlia tubers: peat moss vs. potting soil vs. coco, and basement, barn, and garage storage
• How to decide which cultivars to cut from next year's list

Timestamps:
01:29 How the season has gone
01:43 Flooding and damage control
04:52 Zinnias as a sanity saver
07:32 Soil differences and watering
09:05 Why soil tests matter
11:03 Spider mites in drought and heat
12:09 Rodents and raccoons
14:20 The drill-and-auger planting method
18:30 Tulips and daffodils
23:46 Photographing and labeling varieties
28:25 Cutting cultivars from next year's list
31:29 Creating a premium tuber unboxing experience
35:42 When to dig dahlia tubers
38:22 Storage: heated barns, basements, and garages
42:39 Peat moss, potting soil, and coco
45:31 Using Brix readings to compare plant health
49:35 What's coming next on the show

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