Collection site: Dahlias for the Sno Valley flower farmers.

Many have read the plight of the Snohomish Valley flower farmers. During the October floods they lost much of their dahlia crop to rot.

Now picture a pickup load (or several loads) of dahlia tubers delivered to these same farmers to help them get back on their feet. Can you see some of your dahlias on that load?

I feel that that the average gardener can bring some justice to these hard working farmers. All we have to do is share our dahlias with them. And who doesn't have ten growing where they had just a few last spring!

To that end, I am offering Holy Cross Church in Redmond as an Eastside collection site for dahlia tubers. You need not clean or divide the clumps. Just dig and deliver to the church.

I will keep a large Tote--one of those big pallet sized boxes that they use for pumpkins at the grocery store in the fall--at the church. The tote will be between the two main buildings on the campus (church and education building) under the covered area. This will protect from frost.

Collection dates are from Now until Saturday March 3. You can drop off tubers anytime.

Directions to Holy Cross Church http://www.holycrossredmond.org/directions.htm

Holy Cross Church
11526 162nd Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052

Contact:

Jim Eichner
425-223-7249 cell

The Dahlia Drop Box In Redmond

Directions to the Dahlia Drop Box: http://www.holycrossredmond.org/directions.htm

We can handle as many tubers as are collected.

Every evening we will empty this box, divide, crate and store tubers in a frost free place.

The Dahlia Drop Box will be up from now until Saturday March 3. On the afternoon of March 3, we will deliver the dahlias to Bee Cha of the Cooperative Extension Service. Bee will distribute the dahlias to the Sno Valley flower farmers at the end of March.

What a lovely thing to do - I am more than sorry that I don't have dahlias (I'm too lazy to dig them up in the fall so generally lose them - only a few seem to survive).