My goodness you all are busy! I have Dahlias in the greenhouse that are 2 ft tall, and still have lots of tubers in storage. So It will be a stretched out season for the Dahlias. I have to prepare the beds for planting as soon as it stops raining long enough. We had such a horrible winter last year that, I moved a bunch of the perennials into the coldest part of the greenhouse so those things all got a head start and are on the fast track. I lost a bunch of plants when we had the -20* temps, I didn't want to take a chance this year. Anyway, I have my work cut out for me, lol.

Warm sunny weather has returned! 80* today with a low of 49. No more frosts predicted in the long range report. AHH, I think my dahlias will be fine and can come out of their blanket of straw. Still waiting for my order from Cowlitz River Dahlias and haven't planted my order form Lobaughs yet so still have about 22 to go and my dahlia bed will be full. Have begun planting out my annuals. Sore and tired today but have another full day to go before all my pots and baskets are planted. I am a slave to my garden! Tried a few new seeds this year, annual blue salvia and some million bells that I gathered seed off of last year. Am very interested to see how those will turn out.

Very pretty, and so nice and neat!

looking good!!

Yesterday DH put the drip system in my raised beds. I will take some pictures. He did a great job, even burying the hoses between beds so it looks tidy and he can mow with no problem. Only has to roll up the main line from faucet to first bed. It was 31F (-.5C) last night so can't move dahlias to beds to harden off yet, but I can plant seeds. Moving forward slowly. Eric is coming this afternoon to work on the four pages of things I noted I needed/wanted done in the beds. They were written on unlined paper as I walked through garden, so not as bad as it sounds. Laura will join us when she gets off work. I have my first meeting as the new treasurer for the Alaska Wildflower Society tonight so can't work as late as I would like but that is probably for the best. Really trying not to aggravate my back any more than necessary to (hopefully) speed up recovery.

I am especially excited that Eric can assemble the trellis I bought from Lowe's last fall. It has been in D's truck all winter. Glad we couldn't get to it til now as I have changed where I want it to go. He would have had a fit had he already assembled and placed it in the original spot.

All my Dahlias are out of storage and potted awaiting the new Dahlia bed.Can't work the ground until it stops raining. Hopefully the Dahlias will sprout in the pots and I can plant them in the ground later. Lots of catching up to do when it dries up.At least it is warm here in Ky.

Yesterday I went to my favorite nursery. I bought several bedding plants. They had two varieties of dwarf dahlias available. I bought a 4-pack of each. I can remember one is Harlequin mix, can't remember the other right now. The Harlequins already had some blooms on plants less than 6" tall. Very pretty two tone yellow flowers on them.

I have seen more potted dahlias in bloom at nurseries that ever before - they must be gaining in popularity. I have resisted temptation so far.

Planning on spending some time today adding compost to the dahlia beds, and bringing the dahlias out on to my screened in porch to begin hardening off. Very excited that planting time is getting close. I walk around my yard and feel overwhelmed with how much I need to get done, but I know once I get rolling it will come together.

I am in your boat Geoff. But there is progress thanks to Eric and my daughter. I put about 1/3 of my dahlias in the raised covered beds yesterday. They made it through last night fine. I will give them another day then they will go to the porch. I need to plant seeds in those beds. I am thinking I can plant seeds and still put pots on top for about 3-5 days as they shouldn't germinate very fast right now. I still need to harden off the rest of the dahlias and certainly get my annuals and such started hardening off also. I leave for Fairbanks the 18th and will 'top off' my plants to make it easier for my daughter to try to keep them alive for five days. The small ones in 6 paks are drying out fast along with the little 2" pots. If she can focus on those and my tomatoes I think we should be okay. The rest can take a bit of dry if they have to and recover. The little guys, herbs, popies, nurslings won't make it if they get past a certain point.

I will be harvesting pak choi and lettuce in the next week from things I started out the first part of March and have replanted in the raised beds. Really need to get the beans out there as they are going nuts inside, getting all tangled up.

The other dwarf dahlias are called "Fresco Mix"

There are also dahlias, by Proven Winners/Proven Selections, like this Dalina Midi Pinta.

I am going to gamble a little the week of the 18th. Since I have a bunch of dahlias I am going to plant out about half of them before I leave for Fairbanks. Some are so spindly they really need sun. If we get a late frost, so be it. But my daughter can only handle so much and that still leaves one 4x8 table full and two rolling racks full of small pots and six packs that dry out really fast.

Weather outside is pretty decent. 40's at night and 60's during the day if not 70's in the sun. Overcast yesterday and light rain last night but that was good. Perfect 'planting out' weather.

It sounds like your weather is pretty similar to what we have right now.

I decided to keep the dahlias inside for another week, along with the heat loving vegetable starts. We have a few night time lows predicted in the mid to high 30's this week. Not frost - but cool enough to potentially slow down the plants. And mine are still happy under the lights

Everything else got moved out to start hardening off. My annuals, and other veg, while started late and kind of small, are looking good.

I've move a bunch of dahlias in baggies onto a protected front porch so they get morning light. How cold is too cold for them at night? I've left them out the last couple of nights but it's been above 40, supposed to get down to 36 tomorrow night, though. Should I bring them back in, just for the night?

A little iffy. If it were to drop just a few degrees colder it could nip them badly.

I'd bring them in. Maybe I am a little over cautious, but I like to wait until it doesn't go below 45 at night.

Probably better safe. I have decided after this year that I won't be saving any over winter except a few clumps I particularly like. I really can't go through this mess any more. Feel like I am letting down 'the club' but I look at all those plants that I can barely take care of and the cost in electricity, soil, etc to keep them since the middle of March when they insist on growing and simply can't do it. Cost wise I could probably buy $150-200 in new tubers and be about even on cost. I will make note of when the over wintered tubers bloom compared with new ones just purchased. They are smaller for sure but nicely healthy and robust. And no problem planting them worrying about crushing the growth.

Feel like I am going 'to the dark side' but I think it is time. I know Arlene, you decided that a few years ago, and are now very successfully over wintering.

I'm with you, Mary. I'll keep the ones I love best but the rest will go to my neighbor for her friends who enjoy them. I can probably start quite a few on our indoor (unheated) porch, with five huge windows facing southwest. It gets to be too much to handle the stairs to the basement.

I can understand where you are coming from on this Mary. This year I have spent more time than ever babying mine. I am still mostly enjoying it, so I will continue, but I can see drawing the line sometime in the future. This year I know I held onto more than I will be able to plant. I haven't counted, but I'd guess in the 300- 350 range. I only did it because last year I only kept one of each for myself, and ended up losing several varieties that I really wanted , so this time I kept back at least 2 of each variety, plus purchased and traded for more than ever.

We are all doing this for fun - if it starts t feel like a burden, then something is wrong.

It might be worth seeing what happens if you just leave them in your cold attic space until early May. If the sprouts get long you can just snip them back when you pull them. Or find a young and eager dahlia addict and give them all of your clumps in the fall with the caveat that you get one tuber back from each clump in the spring. I know I would have jumped at that offer when I was starting my collection.

I keep them in a crawl space about 3' tall that rarely gets below 50F. And getting down there is a real trip. I know that part of the problem this year is my back. You can only take so much pain (which is not solely due to the dahlias). I moved 25 or so from the raised beds to the deck. They are hardened off. Then moved more to fill the one bed (others are now planted with either vegie starts or seeds) available. It only takes a day or three and they can go out with no protection (poly covers.) then I have enough to fill it at least one more time, maybe more. And that doesn't count the flats of annual flowers and vegies that need hardening off. Plus I am leaving for 6 days so I have to reduce what Laura will have to care for. I have peonies plus about 20 more coming this fall to give me my main spring color (not counting daffys and crocus), then annuals I plant plus lilies. Don't think I will be deprived of color. Add to that maybe 25 purchased dahlias and I should be set.