Information and Policies

ABOUT THE FARM:

We are a small family farm located in Gregory, MI. We grow about 1,000 Dahlia’s, along with other flowers and food for our family. We are animal lovers, so our Dogs, Cats, Ducks and Chickens are all considered part of our family. We practice growing methods with the health and safety of our family and the environment as our priority.

ORDERING:

Items placed in your cart are not reserved until check out is complete. Some of our varieties are limited in quantity and may sell out quickly.  In the event of tuber storage loss, you will be provided with a refund.  We are unable to cancel any items once an order is placed.  All sales are final once check out is completed.

SHIPPING:

We only ship to the continental US. Sorry, no international orders at this time. All orders are shipped USPS Priority mail service. I will start sending them out when the danger of frost has passed. This is usually in sometime in April.

TUBER GUARANTEE:

We guarantee you will receive a tuber with a visible eye. We wake our tubers up early, so some might already be growing sprouts. If you have any concerns, please contact us within 1 week after receiving your order. After this time we are unable to offer any refunds or replacements that could be caused by improper storage or planting conditions. Dahlia Tubers will grow true to the variety that you ordered. If you discover something different, please contact us via email with a picture during the growing season. If the variety you received is different from what you ordered, we will offer a replacement to be sent out the following growing season.

PLANTING AND LOCATION:

Dahlias thrive in full sun and should be planted in a location that receives a minimum of 6-8 hours of sun, but would prefer afternoon shade in hotter areas. Wait until all danger of frost has passed before planting.  It’s best to wait until the ground temperature is at least 55-60 degrees.  Delay planting if there is a heavy rain in the forecast. Do not water until you see sprouts appear from the soil, as newly planted tubers are prone to rotting if the soil is too wet. Dahlias will grow quite large and most varieties will require support.  It’s best to add your supporting system before planting to prevent damage. Add a ground cover to control weeds and retain moisture. We prefer wood chips. Straw is also a good option, but be very careful where it any sourced as many field are sprayed with broad leaf herbicides that will leach into your soil and cause problems.

FERTILIZER AND SOIL HEALTH:

Dahlias thrive in rich, well-drained soil. If you have access to clean, well-aged compost to add to your garden, this will help loosen and build healthy soil. Most importantly, I recommend that everyone gets a soil test. They are cheap and readily available. This would prevent you from wasting time and money on something your soil doesn’t need and potentially cause harm to the plants and environment. Also, it’s very important to know the PH of your soil, since this is critical for nutrients to be available. Ideal PH for dahlia’s is about 6.2-6.5. Building healthy soil is an important part of having success in the garden. I would recommend experimenting with different compost teas, as this will help add beneficial bacteria. Also, I have noticed a big improvement using products containing mycorrhizal fungi.

PEST CONTROL:

We live on our farm, so we are very cautious about the practices we use. Below are some recommendations on what we have found successful. Slugs and snails love newly sprouted dahlias. Apply bait at planting…or better yet, get yourself a pet duck. We believe the heavy use of pesticide will only make matters worse, as this will also kill beneficial insects that keep everything in balance. There are many predatory insects that can be purchased for about the same cost as pesticides. Good organic option are products that contain Spinosad. We use beneficial nematodes (HB+SC+SF) and bacteria to help control soil pests. I use milky spores to control Japanese Beetles, also I pick them off early in the morning and feed them to our Chickens. They love them!

VIRUS PREVENTION:

Unfortunately, viruses and diseases are a part of life. We do our best to limit them in our gardens by creating conditions for them not to spread. We are diligent about sanitizing our tools on the farm. We rotate several snips in a triple dip, which consists of first a 10% bleach solution, then soapy water before each variety. Finally, a soak in Evaporust solution to keep them clean and prevent rust. We divide our tubers on stainless steel tables that are wiped down between clumps. We cull any suspicious looking plants or ones that don’t perform well in our garden. We don’t waste our time and energy growing things that don’t grow well, regardless of the rarity or how high the demand for the variety is.

Sometimes it’s difficult to know exactly what is causing symptoms, without expensive testing and also knowing exactly when the plant was infected. Therefore we are unable to offer any refunds due to concerns about plant health. We will continue to do our best to grow and offer healthy plants, but please understand that dahlia viruses are common and some are present with little to no symptoms (asymptomatic).

Growing dahlias should be a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend time. No one needs extra stress in their lives. We hope to spread the joy and beauty of our dahlias from our family to yours. Happy Growing!