McCall Garden Volunteers
Sue Isley
Intro
Members of the NM Dahlia Society responded to the call to help one of their own with enthusiasm and commitment. On the very afternoon of our 2025 Dahlia Festival on September 28th, Howard McCall’s spectacular gardens were struck by a powerful hail storm. So, in the midst of glory and congratulations for the many wins and ribbons (including “Best of Show”), Howard and his professional gardener Tom Taylor, had to face the grim reality that their dahlias, as well as many of their other flowering plants, had been severely damaged or destroyed.
Howard and Tom had been solely responsible for the vast and glorious gardens that have graced Howard’s property in Tijeras, from the planting of tubers in the Spring, to caring for the growing plants and their incredible blooms throughout the growing season, to harvesting and storing them for the cold Winter months. But last Winter, Howard took a fall and has been unable to carry out the tasks and responsibilities that he once was able to do, despite undergoing surgery last Summer on his spine to relieve some of his pain and disabilities. This left the bulk of gardening responsibilities to Tom. Unfortunately, Tom has some health issue of his own, particularly with his spine, which has required him to undergo surgeries to help remedy these issues. Tom’s first surgery took place on November 6th on his cervical spine.
Howard McCall dividing tubers.
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The driveway was used for cleaning, washing and drying tubers.
Once dried tubers will will be divided and processed for winter storage.
It is the end of the season and the dahlia stalks will be cut back 4-6".
October 31, 2025
Cutting the Stalks
And impromptu tutorial on digging and dividing tubers
The first step in the harvesting process of the McCall dahlias took place on October 31st, which was Halloween. During this phase, the dahlia stalks were cut back to a height of 4-6”, after which the stalks were gathered up and transported to a compost pile at the back of the property. Four NM Dahlia Society members participated in this phase, including Aaron Greenwood, Sue Isley, Tom Taylor, and Howard McCall. While Howard’s role in this operation was primarily supervisory, his presence was very much felt and appreciated. And despite his impending spine surgery, Tom was fully involved in this process. Tom had invited several of Howard’s neighbors to assist society members with this process, and all work was completed shortly after lunch was served.
After lunch, most of the volunteers departed, except for Sue and Aaron, who remained with Tom and helped him dig up tubers that were in raised beds that were located on the deck at the rear of Howard’s home. When asked why these tubers were being dug up at this time, Tom explained that because they were in raised beds, there was a greater possibility that they could freeze, compared to those that were planted in the ground.
Sue Isley
Tom demonstrated how to dig up the tubers using a shovel, with reminders to make sure to insert the shovel far enough away from the stalk so as to avoid damaging any tubers in the process. After the tuber clumps with removed, they were carried to the driveway where they were washed to remove as much soil as possible. Once they were washed, the tuber clumps were left outside in the sun to dry as much as possible before being taken inside the garage to continue drying overnight.
Tom took the opportunity to demonstrate to Aaron and Sue how to divide the tubers. He explained that not every tuber will produce a viable plant the following Spring, as there must be an “eye” present for the tuber to sprout. “Eyes” are often difficult to discern when the tubers are initially dug up, so some growers prefer to simply divide the large clumps into smaller ones before storage, and leave them to be separated into individual tubers in the Spring when the “eyes” become more prominent.
Aaron Greenwood is loading the ATV with plant stakes that will go into storage.
Tom Taylor is a tutorial on how to divide tubers.
Tom Taylor is loading the ATV with Dahlia stalks for transport to the compost heap.
November 14, 2025
Harvesting the Tubers
November 14 was the date that a number of members of the NM Dahlia Society volunteered to assist with harvesting the McCall dahlia tubers. Tom was still recovering from surgery on his cervical spine (which was successful, thankfully), and he had to be careful not to overdue it. Society members who were present included: Howard McCall, Tom Taylor, Aaron Greenwood, Sue Isley, David Wimsatt, Carla and Mickey Chirigos, and Mary McArthur. In addition, Tom had once again invited a couple of Howard’s neighbors to assist with this phase of the harvesting process. This was the most labor-intensive phase, which involved digging up hundreds of tuber clumps, transporting them to the washing area in the driveway in front of the garage, and washing them . . . all while keeping track of the identification of each and every one of the dahlia tuber clumps.
David Wimsatt digging up dahlia tubers.
While most of the volunteers were digging up and transporting tuber clumps, Howard sat in the garage and began working of the next step in preparing the tubers for Winter storage: separating the tuber clumps into either individual tubers or clusters that were small enough to fit in the plastic storage boxes (which are about the size of shoe boxes). While volunteers continued to work, Tom prepared a delicious lunch for us all, which we enjoyed on the deck at the rear of the McCall home. While we were dining, Sue McCall joined us for lunch, and Howard’s and Sue’s daughter-in-law stopped by for a brief visit.
After the lunch break, the volunteers continued to work on digging up, transporting, and washing tubers . . . again, all the while with keeping track of each tuber clump’s proper identification. By the end of the day (and it was a l-o-n-g day!), all of the tubers had been removed from the front yard, and some of those in the backyard had also been extracted from the soil. The vast number of washed tuber clumps were spread out all over the driveway to dry. Howard decided to leave them outside overnight to continue drying, as it was not expected to freeze overnight . . . which, fortunately, did not happen.
Howard McCall and Tom Taylor packing plastic containers with dahlias for winter.
Howard McCall is dividing tubers.
Sue Isley is gathering and transporting tubers to the driveway where they will be cleaned and washed.
Tom Taylor, Howard McCall and Aaron Greenwood.
Friends of Howard's digging up tubers.
Carla Chirigos
November, 15 2025
Separating and Processing the Tubers
The following day, Saturday, November 15th saw a large group of NM Dahlia Society volunteers present at the McCall residence to continue helping Howard and Tom with Winter storage preparations. Those present included: Edith Iwan, Aaron Greenwood, Sue Isley, Mary McArthur, Declan, Conor, and Megan Padgett, Gil Quintana, Joe Gorvetzian, Sue and John Bond, new members Tim Petre & Amy Schmidt, neighbors Dave and Nancy (last name unknown), and of course, Howard and Tom.
Howard continued his work with separating the tuber clumps, while Tom delegated different tasks to the various volunteers. Since he was still recovering from his recent neck surgery, Tom’s role was primarily one of demonstration and instruction in multiple areas. Aaron, the Padgetts, and Dave & Nancy went to the backyard to continue with the excavation of tubers, while Edith and Sue Isley were put in charge of organizing the plastic boxes that would be used in storage. Other volunteers continued to work on washing and organizing the tuber clumps alphabetically on the driveway.
Mary McArthur cleaning and washing dahlia tubers.
Eventually, the extraction and washing processes were completed, and work then concentrated on separating the tuber clumps. Howard demonstrated his expertise to Aaron Greenwood and Sue and John Bond; meanwhile, the Padgetts, Gil Quintana, and Mary McArthur set up work tables outside and began working on separating the tubers. Edith Iwan and Sue Isley sorted the separated tubers into their properly labeled storage containers; it didn’t take long to realize that Howard and Tom had planted many new and different varieties of dahlias this year compared to last year, resulting in many previously labeled boxes having to be re-labled to accommodate this year’s new varieties. Later, Edith Iwan and Sue Isley joined the group at the outdoor tables, working on separating the tuber clumps. Through Edith’s expert guidance and tutelage, even Sue Isley began to learn the delicate task of separating tubers.
While most of the dahlia clumps retained their proper identification, there were those that were unidentifiable, and they were placed in a separate area, as Howard did not intend to plant them next year. Also included in this area of “cast-offs” were tubers that Howard had decided not to plant next year for a variety of reasons. Howard very generously donated these tubers to any of the volunteers who wanted them. Thank you, Howard!
By the end of the day, while considerable progress had been made, many tuber clumps remained in the driveway, awaiting further processing. In addition, even those tubers that had been successfully separated and placed in their appropriated storage containers, still had to be rolled in sulfur dust to prevent mold and mildew and other pests from attacking them while in storage. Unfortunately, mold can attack and grow on tubers that are not properly treated very rapidly, as demonstrated by the image in this article.
These friends of Howard's are washing dahlia tubers.
Gil Quintana and friend of Howard's dividing dahlia tubers.
NMDS President Edith Iwan keeping an inventory of dahlia tubers being stored for the winter.
Joe Gorvetzian dividing dahlia tubers.
Declan and Conor Padget dividing dahlia tubers. In the background Joe Gorvetzian isdividing dahlia tubers.
Unfortunately, mold can attack and grow on tubers that are not properly treated very rapidly for storage.
November 17 & 18 2025
The Final Days
The final phase took place on Monday and Tuesday, November 17th and 18th, and essentially involved completing the separation processes on the remaining tuber clumps, rolling ALL the tubers in sulfur dust, and placing them in their properly labeled storage boxes. Sue and John Bond, and Mary McArthur showed up on Monday to help Tom and Howard; Sue Bond, Ben Wakashige and Mary Mac helped finish everything up on Tuesday!
“This has been a learning experience for everybody,” explained Tom, and he was absolutely right! We are all so grateful for this amazing educational experience, and look forward to seeing the McCall gardens flourishing next year. While the absolute number of tubers harvested is unknown, Tom estimates 145 varieties of dahlias were harvested from the McCall gardens this year. That is a whole lot of tubers!
