there are several ways to store dahlias. Some varieties are good storers and others are not. What I do is let the frost burn them back and dig them up..shake off the extra dirt and let them dry a bit, wrap them in newspaper and then store them in dog or cat food bags I have saved and put a few holes in..then into a box in my darkest coldest closet. You can store them in the pots they were in also. I find they can't be wet or they rot. The tubers can't be frozen or they rot also.
Jean

So you think it is safe to leave them in the pots and store them in the garage? My garage is heated and I keep it at about 5C all winter. If I stop watering them at the first frost, would that dry them out enough for storage? Guess I'll have to experiment this fall.

I keep feed bags so I guess I could use those to store dug tubers. :) Thank you for the tips Jean. :)

Ginny

The dahlias i started this spring are really leggy. Can they be cut back?

Ginny your garage sounds like a good place to store your dahlias in pots. I would cover them over with a tarp etc if they get light in there. Marcia you can pinch back your dahlias, I pinch mine at the 3 leaf stage to make them bushier.