Digging Dahlias in the Fall: A how to guide.

It feels funny to even bring it up when the temps are flirting with 90, but winter is coming. The calendar doesn’t lie, and if you’ve got dahlias in the ground, now’s the time to start thinking about how you’re going to tuck them in for their long winter nap.

If you’re new to dahlias, don’t worry—it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Digging them up in the fall is a simple, once-a-year task that makes all the difference in keeping your plants healthy and thriving for seasons to come. Here’s how I do it:

1. Wait for the Frost

Dahlias like to hang on as long as possible. I usually wait until a good, killing frost has blackened the leaves. That’s your plant’s signal that it’s time. You can cut the stems down to about 4–6 inches above the ground so they’re easier to handle.

2. Loosen the Soil

Grab a shovel or a garden fork and start digging about a foot away from the stalk. The key here is giving yourself a wide area so you don’t accidentally stab the tubers. Gently loosen the soil all the way around.

3. Lift the Clump

Once the soil is loosened, carefully lift the entire clump out of the ground. Don’t panic if it looks like a knobby, muddy mess—that’s exactly what it’s supposed to look like! I keep mine together as clumps rather than dividing them in the fall. It saves time, and I’ve found they store better this way.

4. Shake Off the Excess

Gently shake off any big chunks of soil, but don’t scrub them clean. A little dirt clinging to the tubers is totally fine and actually helps protect them through storage.

And that’s it for digging! Nothing fancy, just a bit of careful lifting.

** Pro Tip: Don’t forget to label your dahlias before your first frost. After frost you will not be able to tell them apart. I use pink flagging tape to tie on to the stem.

Next up: storage. That’s where the real magic (and sometimes frustration) happens, and I’ll walk you through my favorite ways to keep tubers happy until planting season rolls around again.