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Tiny Hearts Farm

Organically Grown Flowers in the Hudson Valley

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Dahlia Tubers

Thank you for another great tuber sale! We’re no longer taking dahlia tuber orders but you can still find a few at the Tiny Hearts Flower Shop in Hillsdale, NY thru May 1.

We’re so happy to make our dahlia tubers stock available for sale to pickup at our flower shop and for nationwide shipping! Read on to learn more…

Tiny Hearts dahlias as featured in the June 2019 issue of Martha Stewart Living.
Photo credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo

We’ve been growing on our tuber stock for years, carefully selecting dahlia varieties that are vigorous growers, great cut flowers, resistant to disease, and beautiful in the garden. 

When you purchase tubers from us, you’re buying our own farm-grown stock. Sold as single tubers, each tuber is guaranteed to have a visible eye. When you receive your tubers, open the box, inspect tubers for damage, and store them in their sawdust in a cool, dry place until planting. We recommend planting as soon as weather and soil conditions permit – please see our planting guide for more information. If tubers are received in unsatisfactory condition, please let us know and send a picture of your tubers within 3 days of receiving them, so we can replace them for you. We are not responsible for tubers damaged due to being improperly stored after arrival, or to loss due to weather or growing conditions.    

local pickup available, too:

Note: For local gardeners wishing to save shipping costs and instead pick up at our Hillsdale, NY flower shop, that option is also available at checkout. Order tubers in advance and pickup your tubers on Fridays and Saturdays beginning April 1th. Please find pickup directions to our flower shop here.


Dahlia Tuber Planting Guide

When to Plant

Dahlias are long-season plants, so plant your tubers at the right time to get the longest flowering period possible in the late summer and fall. As a general rule, plant as soon as you’re sure the last frost date has passed and/or soil temperature is around 60 degrees.

Where to Plant

Find a sunny spot – the more sun, the more flowers! Well-drained soil is best (heavy, moist soil can rot tubers) and dahlias tend to like slightly acidic soil. Since tubers have to be planted fairly deep and have room to make nice roots and more tubers, well-worked garden soil makes them happy.  

How to Plant

Plant tubers 6” deep and 18” – 24” apart. We put a scoop of compost or a handful of balanced fertilizer in the planting hole. Place your tuber horizontally in the hole, and cover. If the ground is dry, go ahead and water your newly planted tubers. Go light on the watering (only water if the soil is dry) until sprouts emerge or you could be risking tuber rot.

When Sprouts Emerge

Now is the time to start watering deeply. Dahlias are water hogs and a light spray won’t do the trick. Water has to reach down the full 6” to the tuber. 

When plants start putting on some growth, we foliar feed with fish/kelp emulsion every 10 days or so until buds are initiated. Dahlias prefer low nitrogen – once plants begin flowering, we stop fertilizing. Too much nitrogen leads to big, bushy plants with few flowers.

Trellising

Most varieties of dahlias need trellising. For home gardens, bamboo trellising works nicely, or if you’re growing a larger quantity consider the Florida weave or Hortonova netting. 

Pinching

Pinching does wonders to create bushy plants and long stems. This is a necessity if you’re planning to cut dahlias for the vase. When the plant is 12” or so tall, pinch down to three leaf sets. It can seem harsh, but it works!

Digging and Storing Tubers

In colder climates, tubers must be dug and stored over the winter. Once frost has killed your plant, cut the plant back to about 6”. Using a fork or shovel, loosen the soil around the clump and lift it out of the dirt, being careful not to break off the ends of the tuber clumps. Brush excess soil off the clumps and store them over winter in a cool, dark place that stays around 40 – 45 degrees.

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Just in case you’re having a party tonight or to Just in case you’re having a party tonight or tomorrow….these fully open BEAUTIES are headed to @tinyheartsflowershop right now! They won’t give you the same vase life as when you buy them closed, but boy will they knock your guests socks off!
Putting together bold DIY buckets in the early mor Putting together bold DIY buckets in the early morning light. Packing orders, organizing coolers, cultivating beds all in the forecast for today, and @tinyheartsflowershop is open and loaded up with flowers!
✨✨✨First poppies & St. Clair ✨✨✨ ✨✨✨First poppies & St. Clair ✨✨✨
We’re hoping the ranunculus keep blooming throug We’re hoping the ranunculus keep blooming through next week, but the heat we’ve been having may mean this week is it! They’ve been our best crop of ranunculus yet - get your hands on some if you need one last fix before their season ends 😍
Saturday farm chores smell really good 💜 Saturday farm chores smell really good 💜
Inventory is updated! Florists/designers: we have Inventory is updated! Florists/designers: we have 14 varieties of tulips listed, many of those in large quantities, and we’re still not picked out - new varieties are coming in every day! We’ll keep posting as we keep picking!

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