Planting your Dahlias in the Spring

Spring is here and soon it’ll be time to plant your dahlias! 

The first step in a successful garden is soil.  It’s all about the soil, because plants are only as good as the soil they are planted in.  Growing great gardens takes a lot out of the soil, and it’s important that we put that nutrients back into the soil year after year.

Add Compost:

Add a 4″ layer of compost to your planting beds as a first step.  Then till or work in with a pitchfork to mix the compost and the native soil together.  This will drive the nutrition back into your soil that was depleted from last years garden.  The biggest contributor to a healthy garden is without a doubt, compost.  Compost improves the soil in so many ways, it adds organic matter to make the soil softer, allows it to drain better, adds oxygen to the soil by improving drainage and attracts beneficial insects, worms and micro-organisms to you soil.  Compost also has nutrients in it that gives both the plant and the soil what it needs.  The benefits of compost is endless, but too much is not a good thing either.  Your plants don’t like to grow in straight compost, they need the micro-nutrients that comes from your native soil as well.

Planting your dahlias:

Space your dahlias 18″ – 24″ apart, 12″ for a fuller, more grown together look.  Lay the dahlia tuber on its side (flat), about 4-6″ deep with the eye of the tuber pointing up.  Do NOT  water at  planting time, during normal springtime rainfall, the soil has enough moisture to fulfill the dahlias needs until it has sprouted above ground.  An exception would be dry climates where the soil would need to be moistened for planting.

Time your planting just right:

Planting your dahlias at the right time is the key to successful dahlia growing.  Timing is everything in dahlias.    Plant your dahlias when your soil has warmed to 60 degrees and is not too wet or soggy.  A good rule of thumb to follow is to not plant your dahlias until you are safe to plant your tomatoes, potatoes or corn in your area.  Another good rule, is when night time temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees, you are safe to plant.  Planting your dahlias should be one of the last of your spring plantings.

Soil Testing:

Basic soil test kits tell you about N-P-K, N-Nitrogen, P-Phosphorous and K-Potassium and will measure the amount of nutrients you have in your soil.

About 5 years ago, we branched out into perennials and set out to find the best growers of other plants that were available in the United States.  We work with the largest gladiolus grower in Michigan that provide us with these gorgeous gladiolus.  We’re clearing out our remaining stock.   Regular price is $3.95 / 5 bulbs.

Check out our ‘Gladiolus’ page on our website to see our full line

 We work with Golden State Bulb in California for our begonias.  Many people will remember the famous “Antonelli Brothers Begonia Growers”.  They were a long time family farm that was in business for years and years.  We remember the nice, sweet son from Antonelli Brothers used to be at the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle every February.  They unfortunatly had a tragic fire at their farm several years ago, and they were unable to recover from that loss.  But, Golden State Bulb stepped in to help them recover their stock and retire from the business.  The begonias we carry are direct decendents of the World Famous Antonelli Brothers Begonias.  They are the best begonias on the market today.

Check out our ‘Begonia’ page

Miscellaneous Perennials 

See all of our American Farm Grown Dahlias