by Cecile Sandwen (csandwen@verizon.net )
What a fall! When have we ever been picking tomatoes the week of Halloween? But I think most of us have had frost now, and that means it is time to dig dahlias and other non-hardy spring bulbs and tubers, such as gladiolus, elephant ears, canna, and calla lilies. If you have a cool place to store these it is easy to overwinter them and save time and money next spring.
Once the foliage is black, dig up the tuber. Be careful to start from several inches away so you don’t accidently cut it. Once it is out of the ground, leave it in a sunny place for a few days until the dirt flakes off. Refill the holes in your garden with compost so the soil is ready for replanting in the spring. At this point you can divide, or wait until spring. For storage I use cedar cat litter from Crosby’s which is pretty cheap and fill paper shopping bags. I put some litter in the bottom, put a few tubers in and cover them with the litter. I then store them in a cool part of my basement – should be around 40 to 55 degrees, not too warm, but not freezing. I tried the garage once, but they froze and were no good. Be sure to label the bags with color/type.
During the winter they should be checked once a month, and watered if shriveling. Be careful – if left in too much water they will rot, so porous materials only. Last year I left some dahlias planted in pots and brought them into the basement. I watered once a month and they sprung right back in spring. I was surprised. The part of the basement they were in was not cool, but maybe they got enough cold outside?
If anyone else has dahlias and wants to trade, I have quite a number of Sunshine (yellow and red) and also a pink.
Other November Chores:
What a fall! When have we ever been picking tomatoes the week of Halloween? But I think most of us have had frost now, and that means it is time to dig dahlias and other non-hardy spring bulbs and tubers, such as gladiolus, elephant ears, canna, and calla lilies. If you have a cool place to store these it is easy to overwinter them and save time and money next spring.
Once the foliage is black, dig up the tuber. Be careful to start from several inches away so you don’t accidently cut it. Once it is out of the ground, leave it in a sunny place for a few days until the dirt flakes off. Refill the holes in your garden with compost so the soil is ready for replanting in the spring. At this point you can divide, or wait until spring. For storage I use cedar cat litter from Crosby’s which is pretty cheap and fill paper shopping bags. I put some litter in the bottom, put a few tubers in and cover them with the litter. I then store them in a cool part of my basement – should be around 40 to 55 degrees, not too warm, but not freezing. I tried the garage once, but they froze and were no good. Be sure to label the bags with color/type.
During the winter they should be checked once a month, and watered if shriveling. Be careful – if left in too much water they will rot, so porous materials only. Last year I left some dahlias planted in pots and brought them into the basement. I watered once a month and they sprung right back in spring. I was surprised. The part of the basement they were in was not cool, but maybe they got enough cold outside?
If anyone else has dahlias and wants to trade, I have quite a number of Sunshine (yellow and red) and also a pink.
Other November Chores:
- Finish planting bulbs
- Shred leaves, mulch gardens
- Pull up vegetable garden, spread compost and manure
- Lime lavender, lilacs, dianthus, clematis, Sweet William
- Seed parsley, dill, cilantro for next year (this is the equivalent of self-seeding!)
- Deer net shrubs that need protection
- Pack up shed, put away pots, sharpen and oil tools
RSS Feed