You can dig dahlias before frost! If you’ve been watching our Instagram feed, you might have noticed that we are beginning to dig our dahlia tubers… before frost. We have so many tubers to dig that we can’t delay too long! Some gardeners believe it’s not safe to dig dahlias until after a hard frost, but as our friends in zones 9 and 10 (where it rarely frosts) can attest, and as we’ve learned after many years of extensive experiments, your tubers will keep just fine if dug before frost, as long as they are PROPERLY DRIED and then PROMPTLY STORED.
The Most Important Factors When Digging and Storing Tubers
I don’t think it’s early digging that’s causing gardeners to have trouble with their tubers keeping overwinter. The key is letting your tubers dry out the right amount and then promptly packing them away when they reach the correct amount of dryness.
If you dig your tubers and either 1. Pack them away before they’re fully dry or 2. Let them sit out to dry for *too* long, they won’t store well. We let our tubers sit on tilted (for drainage) nursery shelves right in the field until they’re dry to the touch, and then immediately pack them away. On a clear, sunny day this might take 2 to 3 hours. On a sunny & windy day, tubers can easily dry faster. ????οΈ On drizzly, calm, gray days, we move the shelves undercover, and drying can take over 24 hours. ????οΈ
****The key here is, monitor your tubers as they dry.****
Don’t set them out to dry and go away for the weekend. Check them every few daylight hours until the tubers and any feeder roots are dried to the touch, and then pack promptly.
Storing Dahlias Well
Tuck your dry tubers away into a place where you can manage their humidity well. (Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.) We pack our tubers with pine, fir, or spruce shavings in open bulb crates, and stack them in 40′ insulated storage containers. We aim for 80%-90% humidity in that storage container environment, and 40Β°F storage temperature. You can see all of our dahlia storage tips here.
So… to recap: if you’re wondering if you can dig before frost, you CAN, *but* be very, very careful how you handle your tubers after digging! ????β????????
