Now is the time to start dahlia tubers in pots, for planting in the garden in  May. Depending on your frost situation, you must not let young shoots be exposed to night (or daytime) temperatures below about 7C .  Older growth will be hardier, and won’t turn black from frost until autumn.
I pot my dahlia tubers into one or two gallon nursery pots, using a bagged potting soil.  I do this in early April. Tubers should be planted  so that their ‘neck’  is showing or just slighly buried.  When placed in a warm bright window (or  your own greenhouse), the shoots soon emerge.  When the new shoots are about 4″ tall, I always pinch them (remove the centre growth tip )  to make them bushier. Then, I plant them in a sunny spot and hammer  in a strong  stake to  tie them to as they tend to fall over or break if not supported.
For the last two summers, I have been thrilled with buckets full of lovely cut flowers , more than  I can even give away !  Dahlias really deliver !

A GREAT PLACE TO BUY INCREDIBLE (and CHEAP) tubers is at  the Fraser Valley Dahlia Society Tuber Sale .  You will not believe the selection. Imagine a giant bake sale . Then double it.

DATE : April 17th , 2010

Place : George Preston Rec.  Centre 20699  42nd Ave.  Langley, BC        Google Map the address.  You’ll find it !!

9:00 AM - 5PM

Promise yourself to go !!  It is amazing. Vendors come from Washington , as well as BC. This is the way to get varieties not sold in garden centres. There are hundreds of named ones for sale.  Look for ‘Bad Hair Day’, ‘Bedhead’, ‘Hissyfitz’, ‘Maniac’, ‘Zombie Teenager’ , etc.