This video is from October 2022, and while we’ve improved our method of pollinating and collecting seed so that now the number of “keeper” dahlias we grow is much higher, this still gives you a good look at our methods for growing and harvesting tubers from seedlings!

Each year we plant a few thousand dahlia seeds, looking for amazing new varieties to keep, propagate, and eventually share with our flower friends.

We plant our seedlings in a really intense 4″ spacing, and this video shows how we dig them up to store over winter. We only chose to save about 69 out of 5400 open-pollinated seedlings this season (2022), and we maintained careful records on these “keepers” throughout the season. They are tagged in the rows, removed at the end of the growing season, and stored with the rest of our tubers for re-planting next season.

After at least 3 years of solid performance and careful stewardship, we will consider offering some of these treasures for sale in our tuber collection. It’s a long, patient process to wisely and carefully bring a tuber to market, but we’re in it for the long haul! If you are interested in learning more about caring for your own dahlia hybrids with an eye towards sharing them with the world some day, check out our blog posts about Keeper Seedlings and our different Hybridizer Programs!