Harvest and Storage Workshop (Fall Masterclass)

1 ticket includes:

Full day hands-on training by owners of SVFD
Max class size 15 participants
15 single-division tubers ($200 value)
FREE lifetime access to digital companion course ($100 value)

Choose from two dates

Friday October 15th or Saturday, October 16th

9:30am - 5:30pm

On-site at Sunset View Farm Dahlias

27 Pierce Road, Lafayette Twp, NJ 07848

A GARDEN CHANGING OPPORTUNITY!

The key to winding up with more dahlia blooms than you know what to do with next summer is a skillful harvest this fall and successful storage this winter.

This October, come learn the principles and hands-on skills you need to become a master divider and successfully store your tubers in your specific home environment. We'll even send you home with lots of tubers to trial your storage and seed your garden next spring.

This class is strategically timed so that you can learn with us, make your mistakes on our plants, then go home to harvest and store the fruit of your own gardens with confidence.

Master the dahlia harvest and storage this fall. Plant your biggest garden ever this spring!

15 PREMIUM TUBERS TO TAKE HOME

We want to make sure everyone leaves with enough stock on hand to practice successful storage, so we'll send you home with 15 tubers in a selection of some of the most prolific classic varieties - a $200 value, half of the cost of the workshop!

You can use these to test out the storage techniques you just learned and jumpstart your garden in the spring.

WHAT TO EXPECT
This is not a tour where you follow us around while we "show off" how great our farm is. We're here to teach you, so come prepared to get your hands dirty!

Alongside a small group of peers (15 students max, with two teachers), you'll work through every part of the harvest process with a professional dahlia farmer at your shoulder. That includes:

Garden cleanup
Digging
Washing
Dividing
Rinsing, drying, and labeling
Storage

Each stage is important, but there'll be an emphasis on the trickiest parts of the process (dividing and storage).

We'll teach you how to avoid the most common mistakes people make that ruin tubers at each step.

As your collection grows, organization will become increasingly important. You'll learn professional practices for keeping accurate track of variety labels the whole way through so you don't wind up with "mystery" tubers.

SCHEDULE

9:30-10:00 - Greeting & classroom overview
10:00-11:00 - Garden cleanup and lifting
11:00-11:30 - Washing
11:30-1:00 - Dividing part 1
1:00-2:00 - Lunch + Q&A with the farmers
2:00-3:00 - Dividing part 2
3:00-3:15 - Rinsing, drying & labeling
3:15-5:00 - Storage principles and examples
5:00-5:30 - Determined by group interests

WHO SHOULD JOIN THE WORKSHOP?

This is a very thorough training suitable for total beginners to intermediate home gardeners with some experience.

More experienced growers who want to learn how to get the consistently good results necessary to start and sustain a dahlia business will also learn a ton from this workshop and companion course.

DIGITAL COMPANION COURSE
While there will be some lecture material, your time on the farm will focus primarily on learning while doing, because there's no substitute for getting your hands in the dirt and on the plants.

But your workshop fee also includes access to a digital companion course that gives a deep dive into all aspects of the harvest process. We recommend you watch that at your leisure before you arrive. It contains invaluable information that can save you many hours of effort and hundreds if not thousands of dollars in avoided storage loss!

The companion course is available for you to watch immediately upon purchase of your workshop ticket.

YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Dan Grinthal, co-owner of Sunset View Farm Dahlias, and Casey Casperino, our farm manager, will be your instructors.

Other members of the Sunset View Farm Dahlias family and crew may drop in to assist over the course of the day. Look for the embroidered overalls!

GETTING HERE

Sunset View Farm Dahlias

27 Pierce Road

Lafayette NJ 07848

Please arrive early as we will start on time. Use the gravel farm entrance (not the asphalt driveway with the mailbox); follow the road past the barn and park in the lot behind the solar panels. Meet us in the red barn!

LUNCH

Please bring your own lunch. There are also several wonderful affordable restaurants and cafes nearby we can recommend to you if you so desire.

WEATHER

This workshop will be held rain or shine. In the event of wet weather, we'll spend minimal time standing directly in the rain, but rubber boots and rain gear are recommended. Please dress warmly in layers, as we will be in a range of indoor and outdoor temperatures throughout the workshop.

NO TOOLS NECESSARY

If you need eyeglasses for close work, don't forget them! We'll provide all other tools you need for the workshop.

If you have a favorite pair of snips you'd prefer to bring for the dividing portion, feel free, but make sure they're clearly labeled with your name!

NO CANCELLATIONS

All sales of workshop tickets are final. If you can't make it, send someone who takes great notes, and enjoy the digital companion course at your leisure. If need be, we're happy to ship your tubers to you.