In early March, you’re probably asking: What on earth can a flower grower sell at a farmers’ market?
Not blooms, that’s for sure!
But what we did have was dahlia tubers. Lots and lots of dahlia tubers. If you haven’t grown dahlias, you’re probably not familiar with the tuber, which looks a little like a potato.
In 2022, we grew 200+ dahlias in a whole range of varieties from white, to pink, to purple and many more. Each plant sprouts from a single tuber, but by the end of the season, the tubers multiplied and can be carefully separated for entirely new plants. Dahlias will not survive our Zone 5B harsh winters, so in the fall, we dug up each cluster of tubers. Then, we washed each clump and let them dry in the last sunshine of fall.
Once dry, we moved the tubers into the basement of our farmhouse. Then, over the next several months, I carefully separated the tubers, ensuring that each one had the three key components for success: a crown, neck and solid tuber. For dahlia tubers to sprout a plant, the crown has to have at least one “eye,” also like potatoes.
I spent weeks separating, chopping, slicing and then packaging in a way that would ensure the tubers would survive the winter. If not stored properly, tubers can rot from too much moisture or shrivel from lack of humidity.
The farmers market, which was sponsored by the Hill and Valley Exploration Tour, was a blast! We chatted with so many people who were so enthusiastic about growing dahlias, and we enjoyed meeting so many local producers, who shared everything from honey to mushrooms, cakes to garlic.
You can bet we’ll be there next year, with hundreds of tubers in hand!
