I have been growing Dahlias for over 20 years. My first thought would be to take two pieces of plywood make a half circle of them. Put them over where you intent to plant your dahlias this year. Then cover the plywood with a clear plastic drop cloth. Make a min green house over your garden. Then you could plant your dahlias.

Cookie, we fight damp weather and cool temps almost all of June. Any tuber that survives the soggy, cool soil is a fighter and a keeper. After June, we're in ideal dahlia country. But hail and wind are different monsters altogether. Vikingcraftsman has a good idea, but I wonder if the plywood would block out too much sun?

There reallly isn't any easy solution I can see given the whims of Mother Nature in tornado alley, but have you seen this by the McAllister's in Colorado from www.dahlias.net? Might work for your taller plants and if you are not inclined to go with the inverted tomato cages, several bamboo garden stakes would provide the same support framework.

For younger, shorter plants I used cut off gallon milk jugs for early protection from slugs/cold. They work great until there are too many to place and replace twice daily. Plus your garden bed looks like this
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Here is a link that might be useful: Protecting dahlias McAllister's way

You know, sometimes it seems like people are suggesting that only retired people with no kids or pets can raise Dahlias. Putting tons of milk bottles twice daily!! I don't drink that much milk in a year, and we can only buy it in cartons!...;-]

If a sprout takes a direct hit from a piece of hail, it **might** break. They aren't made of crystal. Its like a small child's ability to withstand things we can't. More than likely a hail storm will knock off a branch or two, but not kill the sprout...at least that would be my guess.

If you're really worried, take a cutting, keep it inside incase the tuber's sprout gets whacked.

I'm hard pressed to think of where you could get a Dahlia to flower that they wouldn't already be planted in the ground...regardless what nature might throw at them.

Cheers,
Russ

Russ-- she lives in Kansas! Have you ever seen Kansas golf-ball sized hail stones??? They can put dents in cars never mind flaten crops.
I'd keep the dahlias in until the threat of hail has passed.

Ooops...;-], I guess we're not in Ontario any more toto...

Sorry Cookie, never thought about hail that size.

Cheers,
Russ

Thanks for all the suggestions. I talked about golf ball size hail, actually that same storm had softball size too, not here, but real close by at the airport. Ruined all of Hertz Rental cars that were parked there. I got brave today and planted a few. Now it looks like we might have another storm tonight...hopefully no hail, just rain and strong winds. I guess the worse that could happen would be that they get broken off and I am assuming they would grown another sprout. I do have some heavy duty rebar stakes. I guess that might protect them some, unless, a tornado would hit us. Oh well, I always love a challenge....I may have to wait a few more days now to try and plant the remainders. I have thought about putting some of them in planters...that way I could at least move them out of harms way if there should be more storms. Is there anyplace in these United States that doesn't have some kind of weather issues? I guess that would be called "paradise". I really appreciate all the good advice you guys give on this forum. Don't know what I would do without you...wish me luck...and some good weather!

cookie- Welcome to Dahlia Paradise-- the Pacific North West-- where all we have to contend with are slugs & earwigs, but I'll take them over hail & tornados any day!
Two views of one of our gardens-

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Moveable pots would be a good solution, Cookie. Dahlias do very well in a larger pot, just have to keep them watered.

I forgot to add-- just so you don't think the gardens look like that right now-- that the 2 pictures were taken in August a couple of years ago.

Awesome pics plantlady2008! Wow!

Cheers,
Russ

We don't believe you. Your garden looks just like that right now plantlady2008. And I love it.

vikingcraftsman-- we're just starting the season & the garden looked like this in April.
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The walkways are now all green - annual rye grass planted, growing well & mowed a couple of times. Won't have blooms for quite awhile yet but most of the dahlias have popped up now. Can't wait to have all that wonderful color back!

Plantlady: None of my dahlias have ever looked like the ones in your photos. I am beginning to believe that here in Kansas, they never will.
After another storm with high winds and rain, they look like wet dogs, luckily I only planted 9 of the 26 or so I have to plant. IF and that's a big IF, it ever dries out, I will plant the others. All I can do now is keep my fingers crossed and pray Mother Nature will be kind to me this year.
Thanks for sharing your photos of your beautiful dahlias.

Poochella: I wish I had used the method you sent me from those people in Colorado for planting. It's another one of those "shouda,woulda,coulda" times. Trial and error I guess. If I plant dahlias next year, maybe I will try that method. It would be worth the effort if I could rest easy after planting and not worry every time it stormed. Here in the midwest/plains, that's a given every spring. Thanks for your advice. It's great to have this forum for those of us who are not that experienced. You have helped answer lots of questions for me over the last 3 years.