Planting Dahlia Tubers

/ Sue Dreamwalker

Things are moving swiftly now in the allotments as we get things hardened off and now into the ground.. We planted out the tubers of the dahlia’s into their new positions in the allotment last week.. By the time the new shoots appear through the ground we are hopeful there should be no more low temperatures of night frosts..   Click photo’s for further enlargements and to reveal the text about the photos  if you can not see text. 

These are the Dahlia tubers.. Hubby dug out deep holes and filled half full with manure from the compost bins .. Watered well. and covered up. 

The Dahlia’s covered up I staked each one to help show me where they are..
I put plastic bottles on top, as its easy when you are weeding to not see sticks.. This is to protect your eyes if you bend down,, Believe me its easily done when you are concentrating on the weeds.
The allotments also need health and safety.
And its always good to keep a first aid kit in your shed.. We have needed it on more than one occasion, through cuts and splinters

Under the large cloches are various three types of cauliflowers, three types of Kale, And three types of Cabbages..
 Under the small ones Brussels sprouts .

The tomatoes are thriving.. and are coming along well.. We have a few extra plants over.. As we also have them within our home greenhouse too..
So the excess we are giving to our neighbouring allotmenteer , as his are not as successful this year. 

Sweetpeas tied up and watered.. Some are pinched out others I have left. Hopefully this will stagger their flowering times.
The sweetpeas are now in their wigwam
This was taken in May.
The Peas have now been netted with wire to help them climb, I planted seeds where they had missed and they are now coming through.. To the left you can just see the beetroots coming . When they get bigger I will weed between them

Also in the greenhouse at home we have been busy growing seedlings. Below are what have yet to be hardened off before being planted out. 

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Well lots to be getting on with, and I hope your own gardens are starting to thrive..  Until next time.. 

Happy Gardening 

~Sue~

 

 

54 thoughts on “Planting Dahlia Tubers”

  2. You’ve been busy! We use mountain dew bottles on top of our canes to scare the birds too, I won’t know how well they’ve worked until the seeds come up (or not, if they’ve been eaten!) Hope the dry weather isn’t affecting your plot too much.

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    • No the dry weather only affecting our arms lol in that they ache and have grown several inches I am sure due to carrying the many cans of water.. LOL.. I hope the birds do not eat too many seeds… 🙂 its a busy time of year for sure.. Happy Gardening Mrs C.. xxx

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  3. Do you plant ‘by the moon’ or through the daily/weekly cycles of the zodiac, as in barren or fertile ? a very long time ago I kept up with that over a six-or-so-month period, and when there was a crop failure, almost always it was on a barren day, meant for weeding/pruning and not for planting…

    The ‘plant root crops’ after the full moon is often respected thru the Latin American cultures, especially for planting fence posts that will root and become living fences.

    The dahlias will be so very welcome when they burst into glorious bloom!

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    • I am trying to follow Luna gardening Lisa.. My daughter bought me a fascinating book on it.. And I have tried it out and it works.. Some seeds germinating in record time on my window sills.. But to be honest I did not even think to look at the luna cycle when hubby decided to plant these.. I should go and look in my special diary as it says each day what the moon cycle is.. .. Sometimes though when I do look back like that… Its amazing how intuition plays a part in planting..
      I love my Dahlias.. and they provide me with beautiful cut flowers… As well as brightening up the allotment plot.. 🙂

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      • Good morning from Ecuador, though your day has been rolling along. i hope it’s a good one.

        Yes, it was amazing when I kept records for our little green house. I did the research in December, plotted the info on a daily calendar – in advance, and then basically ignored it and did the gardening as time permitted. It was when there was a failure that I checked back, and almost always it was done on a ‘double barren’ day.. like ‘Leo/Leo’… barren signs… Once on the farm — in my other life long ago! ==— we wanted to transplant a very large crape myrtle tree in June… not a good time for transplanting anything re: the heat… so i first pruned its roots about six weeks before moving it, and on the most-productive day, we moved it with a backhoe and placed it in its pre-prepared hole. we also aligned it n/s/e/w in the same position it was growing.. that’s out of my sensitivity as to not disorient it….

        we transplanted it at sunset.. watered it extremely well.. ditto the next morning, etc etc….

        not even one leaf wilted!

        it’s been almost thirty years, wow, how does time fly – and now i’m wondering if that tree is still there, thriving…..

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        • Good Morning Lisa.. 🙂 Yes around 2pm here.. 🙂
          What wonderful attention to detail to not stress the tree… People do not realize that they are so sensitive.. And I am always talking to my plants.. Thanking them for doing and giving their best.. 🙂
          I had some tulips bought me for my B’day only today have I had to throw them out.. They grew at least another 3 inches in height in the vase. And have been wonderful..
          When we work WITH Nature she rewards us and thrives.. I hope that tree after 30 yrs is still there..
          I often go back to the village I grew up in.. My Dad was responsible for planting new trees around a dam that was part of a spar mining complex.. They were tiny two ft little things when he planted them back in the early 70’s .. Now they are a proper wood.. And it makes me smile to know he planted them.. 🙂 💚💐

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          • oh yes, there are trees that we have strong attachments to, and i think they know when we’re near.. ha, of course they know when we’re near. your father’s spirit probably watches over that area as well.

            there is one grand tree that presides over an area about two hours from where i live on the coast. yesterday i drove past it twice, and both times, i paused in thought and focused my attention and respect to the tree as i passed. i wondered if anyone else cherishes that tree as much as i… but for sure it knows/senses when i pass, and it gives me comfort.

            one day please share photos of your father’s trees!

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            • Oh yes, I so understand this Lisa.. I have a favourite Oak tree.. Like an old friend I am greeted.. When we tune into a tree, we feel its vibration. and I am sure it downloads straight into our hearts to those who connect.. For words I can not give to describe the feeling it gives.. Such Oneness.. as One breath… 🙂

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  4. Good morning Sue,
    So happy to see your conversation with Lisa above — two of my favorite blogging friends. When I was growing up on my grandparents’ farm, we had a huge weeping willow in a field close to a creek. The creek was full of blackberries, regular willows and a veritable jungle of fun for my sister and me to play in. When my grandparents sold the ranch, the new owners, dredged and “straightened” the creek and the willow split in half and dwindled to a third of its former size. Now, through your conversation, I realize that the willow’s root system was connected to the creek and its wildness. It was greatly disturbed by the dredging process. I had not connected those two things before. I remember being very sad, maybe even angry when all this happened. Not a very happy story but perhaps, a healing one for me. Thank you both for helping me connect some dots.

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    • Hi Alia.. Lovely to see you and have you join in the tree conversation.. Yes you would be right.. The willow loves to be near water and it would have been greatly disturbed by the changes..
      Also when Man interferes with the natural flood planes, like here in the UK.. Altering river systems and building on long known flood planes.. These were not given the names without reason.. So when the rains and floods overflow the rivers this is where the water runs.. Which was why many homes got flooded back in the UK a few years ago..
      Nature knows what she is doing.. All we need do is nurture, water and take care.. She willingly does the rest and grows to be her best..
      Hope your own garden is now getting planted Alia and I hope its drying up where you are.. 🙂
      Loved your comment xx ❤

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      • Thank you Sue. Our garden is doing very nicely and the weather is warming up and drying out. It is absolutely lovely here. I took about 75 photos on a two hour tour with our resident wildflower expert two Saturdays ago and have been too busy to even edit them, let alone make the post that I intended. The beat goes on.

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  5. Oh Sue, you are both such amazing gardeners! I adore dahlias but somehow keep forgetting to pull the tubers every year. I love your idea about using bottles to protect the eyes. I can’t wait to see more.

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  7. Busy, busy BUSY Sue! How lovely of you to give your neighbouring allotment holder your excess tomatoes. I am sure that they will be most grateful. You are lovely people X

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          • I have been a bit slack with blogging to be honest. Now that winter is upon us there isn’t much going on out in the garden. I did manage to harvest some chillies, potatoes, and other things this year so I count that as a serious score considering we didn’t get our veg in till very late in the season and our season was very short because of climactic conditions this year. I also harvested some pepino that showed me just how delicious the ripe fruit actually is. Sanctuary is getting better and better and I keep heaping up cut debris on the outer edges to make new soil. I love how gardening teaches me so much about connecting with nature. Note to self “Do a blog post soon!” And I just (hopefully) finished my documentary the other day and once it gets deemed worthy of handing in, I will share the link with you 🙂

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            • Fabulous that you finished your documentary.. And would love a peek at that LOL.. 🙂 Glad you got some crops harvested.. Its been a weird sort of year all around weather wise.. First we had lots of rain.. then a month with no rain.. Now a Heat wave that is frazzling everything.. topped with High winds and thunderstorms.. SO a mixed bag… Yes I learn something new every year.. . But its all part and parcel.. We have a huge compost heap to sort out in the autumn.. xx Love and Hugs

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            • Kudos on your huge compost heap. Perfect new soil :). I am trying to amass a bit of a compost heap. I started slashing a bit of overgrowth in Sanctuary last week and heaped it up on the ground around the outside perimeter of the fence where the soil is bare and somewhat denuded. Aussie soil is ancient soil and it’s thin and pretty devoid of body so the first thing to do is mulch like crazy. I don’t have a lot of regular mulch so I just heap up all of my garden clippings and when I hacked back the pineapple sage that had almost taken over a quarter of two garden beds alone, I had heaps (literally and metaphorically) of garden debris which has given the soil a lot more protection. When it starts rotting down the worms will do their thang and it will start to enrich the soil. I love this positive gardening thing 🙂

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            • Yes that is what we do.. All crops except Rhubarb leaves .. As they are poisonous we put on there.. We levelled one heap several years ago behind the shed.. It grew wonderful squashes.. and courgettes… 🙂
              Your garden soil with thank you..
              Hope your winter is clement and works in your favour.. Love and Hugs my friend..

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    • Dear Robbie..
      I am only just catching up on my Garden blog today.. Many thanks for your wonderful visit and yes I love cut flowers which is why I grow Dahlias.. Love them.. I have planted Marigolds between the cabbages and Spouts today as companion plants that help keep insects away such as white fly and green fly.. Hopefully.. Seems there is a lot about this year.. The Lupins were full of them in our home garden.. I had to cut flowers off .. As I do not use sprays only home made Garlic spray. Which proves to be good..
      Many thanks again.. LOVE Sue xxx

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  9. Definitely sounds like a lot going on there with the allotments and first shrubs, Sue. I do hope there were no more frosty nights over the last week… If there were, maybe the young plants managed to tough it out 🙂 Three kinds of cabbages. Now that is amazing. So much variety when it comes to plating up for you and the family. The plants in the greenhouse look very green. So must be a sign that they are growing well and you gave them just the right amount of water 😀

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  10. Years ago when my children were small I lived in a house where in the backyard garden there grew many Dahlias. They didn’t last long as we found out after they had bloomed we had a gopher who has a taste for the bulbs underground. We would go out to find the plants lying on the ground after they gopher had made away with the bulb. I didn’t try to plant them again. I look forward to seeing yours’.

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    • I had many gophers eating my peas and many of my flowers every year, and our cattle breaking their feet when stepping into gopher holes … Last few years no gophers at all … I think it’s cuz lil Mr. Marder/ Wiesel cleaning up … and he sure cleaned up my chicken coup … I have 5 chickens left from my original 25 … Ya … Love, cat.

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  11. Was in Ur garden again, friend Sue … u see my foot prints? … smiles … Victoria Day week end is here … time to put in my own garden … there will be potatoes and carrots and beans and peas and beets and cucumbers and corn, and sunflowers, lots of sunflowers … smiles … Love always, cat.

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  13. My earlier comment vanished … as it did before …So feel not in the mood of repeating my gardening enthusiasm story 2017 again. Anyway, wishing you a very good summer, friend Sue … Love, cat

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      • Had a heavy May wind and rain storm here on Wednesday, friend Sue … House is mostly safe, but the west veranda got nicked a bit by a huge falling spruce tree … another big spruce fell behind the house … My willow tree looks sad right now as shredded fresh green leaves everywhere … I wonder how many birds lost their lives and new build nests … My garden should be safe since nothing is growing above the ground yet … O, well … at least we have fire wood for winter … Ya … Love, cat.

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        • Just glad to hear you are safe… And that most of your home is in tact.. We had some high winds here yesterday. along with a thunder storm Hubby had to cover up the courgettes which we had planted out with some Cloches as the wind was ripping them out the ground.. He hoed up the sweetcorn around the roots as they were getting bashed.. But its all calm again today..
          Hope your garden soon recovers and starts to thrive..
          Its awful that the birds always seem to suffer.. As extremes hit when nesting.. ❤

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  14. Hi Sue,
    I still haven’t got it right with Dahlia!
    Finally Gave up the idea to grow dahlia..
    I loved the idea to cover up the sticks with bottles!
    What do you do with these Dahlia? I mean do you sell the flowers? or Saplings?

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  15. Pingback: Dahlia’s are Growing | Dreamwalker's Garden

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