Kitchen Garden Forum

I grew these from seed, this spring. Will they develop tubers, like the ones you buy in the shops? Anyone know?

They will, Diane, usually smaller than the large dahlia types but quite usable the following year.

Thank you Monika, I'm growing these as part of an experiment being run by the RHS to see which of the three colours that the bees prefer. At the moment they are visiting all three colours but, when they first started to bloom, the bees ignored the white ones totally. Very interesting.

You have to be careful not to let the little tubers get too dry and shrivelled or you'll lose them. I keep them in old compost with the tops just poking out and almost dry in pots in a frost free place.

Last year I left mine in their pots in the greenhouse over winter with a bit of fleece on top, then potted the tubers in the spring, getting a nice display just now.

First time I've ever had blight, so in the big scheme of things I could say I've been a lucky gardener, lifted the entire crop and sadly because they weren't really ready I have no PFA for this year. The reds(forget the variety now) are great, nice large tubers, big enough for jackets this coming autumn.