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Farmer Andy's Dahlia FAQ
Fall Shipping
There are two ways to upgrade to fall shipping.
AT CHECKOUT: If you are placing your first order of the season
Shop as normal, then at checkout, select "Fall shipping" as your shipping option. That's it!
AS AN UPGRADE: If you would like to switch from spring shipping to fall shipping
If you have already placed an order where you selected spring shipping, you can purchase the Fall Shipping Upgrade for $5 s(https://www.sunsetviewfarmdahlias.com/product-page/fall-shipping-upgrade)eparately in a second order.
For 2025, whether you purchase fall shipping up front or add it on later, total shipping cost will be $13 + $5 = $18 for fall shipped orders.
Unless you call or email us, if you have selected fall shipping on any of your orders, we will assume all orders you place before the fall shipping window has passed are orders you want delivered in the fall.
Any new orders you place after your box has been shipped in the fall will be delivered in spring.
We will of course replace any tuber that was not viable upon arrival, either through our mistake or through frost exposure, or if it's discovered to be mislabeled in the spring (This is extremely rare but it does happen!).
After your receipt of healthy tubers we cannot issue any refunds, replacements or credits for any reason for Fall shipped orders. You are responsible for the safe overwintering and subsequent care of your order.
You must contact us within three days of receipt of your package, as confirmed by package tracking! We cannot replace any tubers that are damaged as a result of exposure after successful delivery or failure to immediately store after arrival.
Yes! If you have already placed an order (or multiple orders), just purchase the fall shipment upgrade on our website.
Please be careful to use exactly the same shipping and email address you used for all previous orders, or your orders may not be combined.
If you've placed multiple orders and want them all shipped in the fall, you only need to purchase one fall shipping upgrade.
Very few sellers offer fall shipping, for a variety of reasons. You may be surprised to learn that "tubers don't like cold" is not the biggest one.
Since packages are in temperature controlled environments most of the way, most shipments in fall would likely be totally fine with no extra precautions (heat packs, faster shipping speed, insulation, etc) until the box is dropped outside at the customer's door.
The biggest reason people don't offer fall shipping is that they simply can't finish the harvest in time to do it.
Processing dahlias is a ton of labor, and most flower farmers have a million other things to do in the fall. Many operations wait until the spring to divide; most take their time and do it slowly over the winter.
We, however, have gotten pretty good at putting together a great seasonal team to finish the harvest quickly, which means we can get the tubers to you earlier than almost anyone else!
Functionally, no!
The main difference you might notice in fall shipped tubers from our farm is that there maybe fewer actively growing sprouts, since the plants will have been recently killed off by frost here in NJ.
When we ship in the spring, we warm our tubers up early, so that many of them are already sprouting by the time they reach you! We do not do that for fall shipped tubers, since many people will be putting these guys right to bed upon receipt.
If temperatures are warm after the first killing frost, some fall shipped tubers will have put out new sprouts. However, most will have eyes that are in various stages from very swollen to visible, but dormant.
No, probably not! If you have little or no experience with overwintering, we'd advise you not to take fall shipment.
Even when you do everything right, a certain percentage of tubers still rot, shrivel, mold, get eaten by critters, or otherwise spoil in storage every year. We'd recommend new growers try overwintering with "free" tubers you grew yourself before attempting it with purchased tubers.
However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you have your heart set on it, you can always try it. The safest way for a new grower to have success with your investment during your first overwintering is to wake your tubers up early and take cuttings, maybe even for most of the winter.
This is because while you're taking cuttings, you're actively observing, watering, and caring for your plants.
The Fall shipping upgrade fee will be in addition to the regular shipping calculated at checkout.
The upgrade will cover the cost of additional packaging, heat packs, expedited shipping, and significant labor cost required for successful fulfillment in November.
We have invested quite a lot of time in figuring out how to offer you the lowest possible shipping rates. Many, if not most, sellers simply offer expensive flat rate USPS boxes. This makes their lives easier at fulfillment (we totally get that!) but passes on an additional cost to you, the consumer.
We've spent many hours figuring out the most cost efficient way to package and ship tubers safely to save you as much as possible.
We are also happy to offer free combined shipping which is one of the most requested but most difficult parts of tuber fulfillment.
As a result, our average spring-shipped order costs significantly less than most other sellers, and our average Fall-shipped order will cost only a couple dollars more than most sellers' spring shipped boxes that have none of the costlier special considerations for cool weather shipping.
If you can't spot the eyes on your dahlias, please send us a video and/or photos immediately using our customer service form, and give us a call once you have, so we can look at the media together and help you find the eyes.
If we can't see a viable eye either, we will refund, credit or replace the tuber.
You must contact us within three days of receipt of your order! We cannot replace tubers that do not sprout in the spring.
The most heartbreaking thing! We know.
Every year, a certain percentage of tubers do not survive storage, even when you do everything right.
When you order Spring shipments of tubers from farmers like us, we shoulder the burden of winter storage for you. In the rare event of storage failure, we issue refunds or substitutions as you direct us to, and you are taken care of.
When you take Fall shipment, you shoulder the risk of winter storage. We cannot offer refunds or replacements for healthy tubers which shrivel, get lost, mold, rot, get munched on, or otherwise do not survive the winter under your care.
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