if they're tall & leggy you can nip off a set of leaves or 2 & plant them deeper than they were. The bonus from this is another row or 2 of tubers when you dig in the fall

The soil temps are more important.

tubers will rot in cold soil, or get stalled out.

My tip is to plant them in a well/hole so the sun hits the whole plant and then in a week or so start slowly back-filling in over the stems until you reach the natural soil line. This will keep the soil warmer around the tuber so it will not be too cool and then you bury the stem and achieve stocky plants and more tubers.

Kind of wordy, but does that make sense?

Keriann~

They aren't leggy at all, they are short and stocky!! They are Ferry-Morse "unwin's dwarf dahlia' and I started them about 1 month ago. They are about 2 inches tall and have their 3rd set of leaves.

They look quite healthy and ready to go in the ground (it's in the 70s and 80s and last frost date should have passed). Just not sure if I should plant the first set of leaves in the ground or plant them 'as is' as far as depth goes.

If I knew how to post pics I would show them! I am hoping they work as perennials for my area!

you can take off the first set or 2 of leaves & plant if deeper if you want to- or since they're dwarf dahlias you can just put them in at the level they are now- just saying- it won't hurt anything if you get a set of leaves under ground