The end of May, beginning of June is the time to plant Dahlias. One of our members had his in the ground last spring before the end of May and boy oh boy, did he have lots of beautiful flowers come show time.

The following is an excerpt from a handout that we provided at the May Tuber Sale at the Mic Mac Mall (1 May 04), kindly provided by President Rod Prowse.

A Few Tips on Growing Dahlias in Eatern Canada
Growing dahlias is an enjoyable and rewarding aspect of gardening which has a worldwide following. There is no better place for growing dahlias than right here in Atlantic Canada. A combination of mild springs, temperate summers and cool fine falls produce dahlias of wonderful quality.

I would like to take this opportunity to pass on a few tips on the growing of dahlias. These basic tips might simplify a few things for the home gardener and maybe clear up a few common misconceptions. Hopefully, this will help you produce a dahlia bed or two that will pleasantly reward your gardening efforts. 

Starting Dahlia Tubers Early
Dahlias are pretty much a late summer or fall flower when planted as tubers in a dahlia bed. Dahlias, however, are remarkably easy to start in either a green house or under a florescent light in a spare room or basement in your home. We start about 400 dahlias in our 16X10' green­house about mid-April. We find we start getting blooms around mid-July, thus increasing dramatically the time that we can enjoy our dahlias.

To start dahlia tubers, simply fill a container with a starting soil (we use Pro Mix) and moisten. Insert the tuber at an angle into the mix until only the crown of the tuber with the eye is exposed. Keep warm at a temperature of 60-65° F (15-17° C.). Keep the soil moist but avoid excessive watering. If you plan on starting the tubers in your home, use this same method and provide light by hanging a florescent light about 12"-16" over your tubers for 14-16 hours /day. You may have to experiment a bit starting out but there is not too much to it. Starting tubers will greatly increase the time over the summer that you will be able to enjoy your dahlias.