Dahlia Hotline

In this conversation, Catheriya Burke shares her experiences and insights on gardening, particularly focusing on indoor gardening, pest management, and hand pollination techniques. The discussion also touches on the challenges faced during seasonal changes and career transitions in the gardening field. The conversation explores various aspects of gardening, including preventative maintenance, breeding goals, rose gardening, tissue culture, and realistic winter growing strategies. The participants share personal experiences and insights, providing valuable tips for both novice and experienced gardeners.

Takeaways

• Emphasize indoor gardening
• Prioritize pest management strategies Focus on preventative maintenance
• Tissue culture can save plants

Chapters

• 00:00 Navigating Career Transitions
• 02:16 Indoor Gardening Innovations
• 05:40 Managing Pests and Safety
• 10:46 Seasonal Challenges in Gardening
• 17:15 Hand Pollination Techniques
• 24:59 Preventative Maintenance in Gardening
• 26:40 Breeding Goals and Personal Preferences
• 28:56 The Journey into Rose Gardening
• 33:50 Understanding Tissue Culture
• 45:33 Realistic Goals for Winter Growing

Where to find us:

Dahlia Hotline Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahliahotline/

Christin at Black Penny Farms https://www.instagram.com/blackpennyfarms/

Danlye at Vynehill https://www.instagram.com/vynehill

YouTube & Apple Podcasts Description

Three frost hits, a broken pitchfork, and 22 Christmas trees going up on Halloween—this conversation is peak flower-farmer chaos, and it also delivers dahlia advice that could change how you harvest, store, and sell.Danlye and Christin talk about the end-of-season realities of dahlia growing, from judging frost damage and timing digs to handling blooms for better vase life. They get specific about flat-back cuts, pinching, bud selection, and why zinnias can quietly shorten the life of a bouquet.You’ll hear about:

• The dahlia cutting stage that helps preserve vase life
• Why variety matters more than one-size-fits-all rules
• How sun exposure affects stem length, plant shape, and performance
• Using native plants and other unexpected greens in bouquets
• Why some flowers are better harvested separately

Then the conversation turns to the challenge of being visible online. Danlye and Christin talk about imposter syndrome, the pressure to show up, and why “90% done” beats perfection when it comes to posting content. They also discuss what to do when the comments get messy—and how to keep going when the internet feels like a very loud room.If you’re a flower farmer, dahlia grower, small-business owner, or anyone waiting to feel ready before sharing your work, this episode is for you.

A freeze warning is coming, the dahlias are still blooming, and Christin from Black Penny Farms and Danlye from Vynehill are asking the question every flower grower eventually faces: what actually matters now, and what can wait?If you’re trying to stretch the season, decide when to dig, or figure out how to stop doing everything yourself, this conversation is packed with practical, real-world farm wisdom—from sprinkler frost protection and leaf mulch to soil pH, winter growing space, and the smartest ways to use help without burning yourself out.You’ll discover:

• How to handle zinnia seed harvest and drying
• Why pH can matter more than the fertilizer you choose
• The free fall soil upgrade most growers overlook: chopped leaves
• How to decide which jobs are really worth your time, and which should be handed off

Christin also shares what’s happening in her barn as she carves out space for winter growing and hand pollination, while Danlye talks through the late-season dahlia work, soil fixes, and the realities of tagging blooms at the end of the year. Along the way, they get honest about farming mistakes, flooded crops, and why even experienced growers lose plants—a lot of them.This episode also makes a strong case for something many women in farming are taught to avoid: asking for help. From hiring cleaners to recruiting family, teenagers, neighbors, and even curious friends, Christin and Danlye show how collaboration can save time, protect your energy, and keep your best work moving forward.Then they tackle a big floral question: should growers take on weddings, homecomings, and DIY event work? The answer is nuanced. Christin breaks down what has worked for her, why she avoids the pressure of full-scale wedding floristry, and how DIY bouquet buckets can be a perfect middle ground for growers who want to sell flowers without becoming full-service event florists.Essential listening if you grow dahlias, zinnias, lisianthus, or any cut flowers and you’re trying to make smarter decisions before the season ends.

Tiny Tubers, Winter Growing, and Dahlia Storage Tips

Dahlia Farm Hotline: End-of-Season Burnout, Storage Supplies, and Winter Growing Decisions

Danlye from Vynehill in Minnesota and Christin from Black Penny Farms in Ohio talk through the end-of-season mindset: frost uncertainty, burnout, seed collecting, and how to make practical decisions before storage season begins. They also cover what to buy now, what to leave until spring, and whether bringing plants indoors for winter growing is worth the workload.

In this episode

• The emotional ups and downs of the dahlia season winding down
• Simple storage options, including shoeboxes and bulb crates
• Christin’s system for storing a large collection of varieties
• Why small tubers and pot tubers - are worth keeping
• What to consider before bringing greenery indoors for winter
• Whether to buy tubers now or wait for spring
• The work involved in winter growing
• Practical tasks to tackle before storage season

Timestamps

00:00 — The Dahlia Farm Hotline kicks off

00:38 — End-of-season burnout and frost anxiety

03:43 — Minnesota’s delayed frost changes the plan

05:22 — Content-day ideas and reducing mental load

07:16 — Your content style doesn’t have to stay the same

09:18 — Reusing content without starting from scratch

12:06 — What to do now to prepare for storage

13:34 — Christin’s shoebox storage system

15:13 — Using bulb crates for oversized clumps

16:42 — Saving hard-to-divide tuber clumps for spring

17:24 — Markers, flagging tape, and ordering supplies early

18:58 — Why cut-resistant gloves are a must

21:07 — Bringing greenery indoors for winter growing

24:20 — Christin’s dip method and pest control

26:44 — Why avoiding green material is usually best

31:17 — Should you buy tubers now or wait until spring?

35:28 — The workload of winter growing

37:37 — Don’t start cuttings too early

39:23 — How small is too small to store?

43:15 — Big tubers, rot risk, and the case for tiny tubers

46:33 — Planting small tubers in clumps or multiples

49:39 — Pot tubers as an easy-to-store option

51:28 — Homework: tag, sort, store, and plan

Key takeaways

• Store the tubers you want to keep—not just the ones that look perfect.
• If you’re new to storage, consider waiting until spring to buy more tubers.
• Bringing green material indoors can mean added work managing pests and mildew.
• Small, firm tubers with an eye may still be viable.
• Treat winter growing as a significant commitment, not just a side project.

Action items

• Keep tagging plants and collecting seed.
• Order storage supplies before you need them.
• Get cut-resistant gloves for dividing tubers.
• Review duplicates and varieties that are too similar.
• Note which colors you’d like to add next year.
• If your storage system is untested, consider waiting until spring to buy more tubers.

The conversation revolves around the experiences and challenges faced by two dahlia growers, Christin and Danlye, as they discuss their current activities in the field, including tagging, photographing, and preparing for winter growing. They share insights on plant care, mislabeling issues, and the importance of proper tagging to ensure successful blooms and accurate identification of their dahlias. The conversation delves into the intricacies of growing and storing dahlias, emphasizing the importance of understanding plant behavior in relation to seasonal changes and environmental factors. It also highlights practical experiences and lessons learned from gardening, particularly in managing tuber production and storage methods. The conversation focuses on the best practices for harvesting, storing, and preparing dahlias for the end of the growing season, emphasizing the importance of proper techniques to ensure healthy tubers and successful blooms in the following year.

Takeaways

• Importance of proper tagging
• Challenges of mislabeling plants Understanding seasonal plant behavior
• Effective dahlia storage techniques Proper storage techniques for tubers
• Importance of frost protection

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Dahlia Farming
• 00:56 Current Activities in the Field
• 03:00 Seedling Development and Breeding
• 04:45 Tagging and Identifying Plants
• 09:04 Weather Monitoring and Plant Care
• 12:57 Best Practices for Tagging Dahlias
• 17:05 Overwintering Dahlias and Experimentation
• 21:53 The Insulating Power of Snow
• 25:18 Learning Through Gardening Experiences
• 30:01 Fertilizing and Plant Care in Late Season
• 35:13 Storing Dahlias: Best Practices
• 41:44 Trial and Error in Gardening Solutions
• 47:08 Harvesting and Storing Tubers
• 52:36 Preparing for Frost and Season End
• 01:00:18 Dealing with Plant Diseases and Galls

Danlye Jones of Vynehill (zone 5a) and Christin Allen of Black Penny Farms (zone 6b) kick off Dahlia Hotline with an honest look at a brutal late-season dahlia year: flooding, drought, wind, spider mites, and rodents. Then they get practical about the decisions that still need to be made before digging season.

Whether you're a hobby grower with pots on a patio, a suburban farm, or running a full-sized flower farm, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• How to adapt your dahlia growing plan when the weather takes over
• Why the same variety performs differently in different soil, and why soil and leaf tissue tests matter
• Spider mites in drought and heat, plus rodent and raccoon damage
• A drill-and-auger method for planting dahlias and bulbs
• How to photograph and label dahlia varieties before fall changes them
• When to dig dahlia tubers, and why there's no single right date
• How to store dahlia tubers: peat moss vs. potting soil vs. coco, and basement, barn, and garage storage
• How to decide which cultivars to cut from next year's list

Timestamps:
01:29 How the season has gone
01:43 Flooding and damage control
04:52 Zinnias as a sanity saver
07:32 Soil differences and watering
09:05 Why soil tests matter
11:03 Spider mites in drought and heat
12:09 Rodents and raccoons
14:20 The drill-and-auger planting method
18:30 Tulips and daffodils
23:46 Photographing and labeling varieties
28:25 Cutting cultivars from next year's list
31:29 Creating a premium tuber unboxing experience
35:42 When to dig dahlia tubers
38:22 Storage: heated barns, basements, and garages
42:39 Peat moss, potting soil, and coco
45:31 Using Brix readings to compare plant health
49:35 What's coming next on the show

Have a dahlia question? Send it in and we'll answer it on the show. New episodes every week.