Overwintering Dahlias: How to Dig, Store and Save Your Tubers
Photo by Rachel Wilson. American Sunset Dahlias
One year, I decided to ignore the recommendations to dig my dahlias and try overwintering my dahlia tubers in the ground here in Zone 7 along the Connecticut shoreline. Zone 8 is generally considered the cutoff, but I’d had a few volunteer dahlia tubers come back on their own in the past, so I thought, why not give it a try?
Then I saw one of my favorite gardening influencers and authors sharing how she successfully keeps her dahlias in the ground in Zone 5. I followed her steps and felt pretty confident going into it...
The following spring I was heartbroken to learn that I lost every single one.
That’s when I learned that it’s not just your growing zone that determines whether dahlias will survive the winter. Your rainfall, soil drainage, winter temperatures, and even what your spring is like all play a role. Dahlias can handle some cold, but they really don’t like sitting in cold, wet soil.
So, if you live in Zone 7 or below, my advice is: dig your dahlias! I know it can seem intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it really isn’t that difficult. And it can save you a lot of money in lost tubers.
When I first started growing dahlias back in 2020, I thought digging them was like Christmas. I couldn’t wait to see how many new tubers each plant had produced and what I’d have to grow the following year! By the time I was growing 1,000 for cut flowers, though, that was another story!
But anyhow, I put together this step-by-step guide to walk you through digging, processing, and storing your dahlia tubers, including different storage options depending on your climate.
