I have grown dahlias for many, many years and never dig & attempt to store them over winter. If I intend to move them around (which I do occassionally), I dig after frost in the fall usually and move them at that time. I always just plant them directly back into the ground. I have lost very few (Pasadoble seems difficult to me) even when I have had what is considered a very cold winter in Oregon. Granted, we aren't in the ice belt; but, everyone I know who digs every winter always loses many dahlias. I let mother nature store them for me. When they tell me that our dahlia growers all dig & store for winter--I just respond that - of course they do, they sell & ship tubers in the spring all over the world. Don't make them more work than they need to be. Gardening shouldn't be a chore. I don't grow anything that needs to be dug or moved indoors to keep it alive during the winter.

Thanks for posting...however, mine would certainly freeze in zone 5 if I left them in ground over winter. One year I left them in ground (because of life difficulties) and lost all of them and had to start over the next year.

Some varieties just don't produce many tubers, and some don't store well for whatever reason.

One large one that is a reliable tuber maker is Ivory Palaces. Pretty too. Otto's Thrill is another in that catergory. I'm sure there are many others, I just haven't grown them.

I read somewhere (on this forum, perhaps!) that using a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen will produce tubers that will not store well. So I use one with a low first number and higher others on my dahlias (as opposed to my roses, which really like the high-nitro stuff).

Many of the giant dahlias are good tuber makers. Kidd's Climax makes a moderate number of tubers for me. I continue to grow it because it is a beautiful dahlia and the first giant one my dear, sweet Mother ever grew. There may be a deficiency in your soil that is causing not to produce any tubers. Even though some people say it is too much trouble, I would have my soil tested. Another thing you can do to insure a tuber the following year is plant the tuber in a pot and then sink the pot in the ground. You will get a normal sized plant and blooms. Then, when the season is over, dig the pot and store pot and all where it won't freeze. When the tuber sprouts, you can separate into several pieces, or take cuttings. But that is another whole subject. Good luck and don't give up.

Teresa