How to lift and store dahlia tubers | Diary of a Yorkshire Gardener

The frosts are here and you may soon be wondering how to store your dahlia tubers 🤷🏻‍♀️🌸

You can lift or you can leave! It’s a big question this time of year in the gardening world I’ve found 😂

I personally do a mixture of both!

Majority of my dahlias stay in the ground (way less maintenance!) as our garden is sheltered and has good drainage. I’ll cut the stems right down to the ground and cover with more compost for extra frost protection ☺️ I’ve found these can take longer to appear and flower.

I lift the ones that I want to grow in a different area next year or if I plan to give them away.

Once my lifted tubers have dried in the greenhouse for a few weeks, I’m going to label and put them in a cardboard box with paper packaging I’ve saved from parcels to keep them separated, covered and dry. They’ll be kept in the garage where it’s cool and frost free. I will keep checking on them over winter to make sure they’re not rotting ☺️

Even if you’re keeping them in the ground, it’s still a good idea to check the tubers for gall! It’s a disease that causes a mass of distorted buds and shoots. The bacteria is in the soil and is highly contagious so you need to remove and discard (not compost!) any affected tubers - plus clean your tools!

I’m no dahlia expert.. this is just what I do with mine!

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So what’s the verdict, are you lifting or leaving in the ground?! Let me know 👇
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