Wrapping It Up
Dahlias can simultaneously be both wicked tough and fickle to the point of being delicate. In a nutshell, they are tubers that just happen to make really pretty flowers. If potatoes were as fussy of a tuber, we wouldn't have french fries. I bring up potatoes for two reasons. One: you can eat dahlia tubers. That would be silly and wasteful, but nonetheless true. Two: their storage needs are very similar. Most of us keep potatoes in our house for a week or two before we consume them. If we had to keep the potatoes over the entire winter, then we'd be more aware of the myriad conditions that ensure safe storage. More on that at the end. Let's start out with discussing digging and cleaning. If you're an expert on dahlias, please feel free to correct any of my observations in the comments. When should you dig your dahlias? In my zone 6 (really more of 5b) garden, we usually see a killing frost sometime in October, generally before Halloween. By killing frost, I mean the ki...