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Putting Your Bulbs To Bed
Practical tips to hold your garden over winter

DB recently emailed us about how to keep her dahlias over the winter, so we figured other folks might be wondering the same thing already. As much as we hate it when winter comes to Northern Minnesota, it does come, and we have prep work to keep our gardens happy.

Before we get into specifics, you should know bulbs are usually grouped according to when they bloom.
  • Spring-blooming bulbs include tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and alliums. These are best planted in late autumn.
  • Summer-blooming bulbs include dahlias, begonias, lilies, gladiolas, and callas. Plant these bulbs in early spring.
  • Fall flowering bulbs include fall crocuses and colchicums. Plant these in late spring or early summer.

General Tips
  • Label everything you dig up so you know what they are in the spring. Don't forget to note the colors!
  • Make notes about last season's growing conditions, how your plants did in their temporary homes, and where you'll put them next year.
  • Never cover them or wrap in plastic. Store in an open box or tub filled with wood shavings, sand, peat, or something similar. Small bulbs may be stored in paper bags. Look at them occasionally through the winter and remove anything that looks like it's rotting.
  • All bulbs should be stored between 40 and 50 degrees for the winter, but they must never freeze.
  • All bulbs must be dried before putting them in their wood shavings or sand. Some must be "cured" which makes for a longer dry time. See below for recommended times.
  • When drying, make sure the bulbs don't touch each other. This prevents rot from spreading to the neighbors.
  • You can wait until after the first hard frost to dig up your bulbs, but get the job done before the ground freezes. If you happen to have Peruvian Daffodils, dig them up before frost.
Gladiolas

Cut your glads back to leave about an inch of stem. Dry at 70 degrees (room temperature) for a month. Then, divide and clean them of old soil, dead stems, etc. Never wash with water! Brushing debris off is good enough.

Dry the bulbs again for a week or so if needed, then put them in their storage box. Keep at about 50 degrees for the winter.

Dahlias

Cut your dahlias back to three inches above the tuber. Clean them up right away and let dry for a few hours, but don't divide yet. Dahlias do better divided in the spring.

Store at 40 degrees, and check them occasionally through the winter. If they look too dry, sprinkle a little water on them.

Tuberous Begonias

Leave about five inches of stem on your begonias. It's easier to clean them when they're dry, so let them sit at room temperature for two to three weeks. Again, don't wash, just brush off debris.

Store between 40-50 degrees.

Non-Hardy Cannas and Callas

Dig very carefully so you don't damage the rhizomes. Cut the stems back to about three inches, and you can wash if you need to, but that increases your drying time.

When they're dry, store as usual at about 50 degrees. To divide, simply determine that each section will have three "eyes" and break them apart by hand.

Elephant Ears

Dry first to make it easier to remove debris, usually for a couple of weeks at room temperature. Cut off stems to four inches, and store as usual using a shallow container.

Elephant ears don't like to be moist in storage, so make sure your spot is dry and cool (50 degrees).


If you've got something that's not covered here in this brief article, simply email us at beiersgreenhouse@beiersgreenhouse.com and we'll look into it for you. And keep those questions coming!
Lentil and Tomato Salad
Serves Four

1 1/3 cups lentils (brown, green or red)
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley and/or mint

Rinse the lentils, put in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak for 1 hour. Remove anything that floats to the surface, then drain.

Place lentils in a saucepan, cover with fresh water and cook for 1 1/4 hours or until tender. Drain well then mix in a large bowl with the red onion, scallions, and quartered tomatoes.

Blend the olive oil, wine vinegar, and sugar together and pour over the lentils, onions and tomatoes. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and mint. You may serve immediately or flavors improve with overnight storage in the refrigerator.



Recipe courtesy of Beier's Greenhouse. Adapted from The New Vegetarian Cookbook by Heather Thomas. Copyright 1998 by Harper Collins Publishers. Laurel Glen Publishing, San Diego, CA.
September 14, 2008
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