05/18/2026
It’s dahlia planting time! 🌱
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve planted more than 5,000 dahlia tubers and are finally wrapping up this week. One of the questions we get asked most often is how we plant them, so I wanted to share what works well for us here on the farm.
We start with a very thick layer of straw mulch — some of it donated bedding hay from the very generous sheep at Wooly Green Grazers in Mackville. It helps hold moisture incredibly well, keeps weeds down, and means we rarely need to water.
Next, we pull back the mulch and dig a shallow hole about 4–6 inches deep. We add a handful of bone meal to each hole, then place the tuber on its side with the eye or sprout facing up. (But don’t stress if yours ended up sideways or upside down — dahlias are determined growers and usually figure it out just fine.)
We use metal tags and stakes for labeling now, but later in the season they’ll also help support the taller plants.
Once planted, we cover them back up with dirt and wait patiently… without watering. Dahlias take their time, but by late summer they make the wait completely worth it. 💕
