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Digging Daffodil Bulbs, and The Tools Needed

© Clay Higgins

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Daffodil Gardening 101

DIGGING DAFFODIL BULBS, AND THE TOOLS TO DO IT

This is the third of four articles on digging daffodil bulbs

The methodical approach we recommend is a slow, precise method that has proven effective over the years. More experienced growers can consolidate, or skip some of the steps taken.

Two gardening aids are needed for digging. The selection of some sort of a wheeled garden utility vehicle, and a digging tool is highly recommended. A common wheelbarrow, and a more common short-handled gardening fork are the base requirements, other tools used are trowels and specialized shovels. Whatever you have, will do.

The fork is recommended because you don't have to move as much dirt that way, saving energy by reducing the amount of soil lifted, and the easy removal of the exposed bulb clumps as the earth falls off around the tongs. If you have a large garden, one of the hard to find, half size shovel with a full size (length) handle for "surgical" removal of single bulbs and or other delicate duties is highly recommended (in the center between the two garden forks above picture). For those that grow small bulbs, the process described here may have to be changed to using a trowel, instead of the fork.

Step 1. It is important not to bruise or cut the bulbs in the digging process. That's another reason for recommending the use of a gardening fork, in this author's opinion, it is more precise.

The process is to place the tongs of the fork at a 90 degree angle, or perpendicular to the ground, approximately three or four inches from where the foliage indicates the bulbs are located. If planted in rows, place the fork in approximately the center between two rows. The position of the folk handle should be over the bulbs and slightly to the opposite side of the bulbs from the side where the tongs touch the ground. If you plant in clumps, use the natural dividers between the bulbs, or triangulate the corner of the clump or cluster to loosen the soil. Position the folk as described herein.

The tongs of the fork are curved. Push the fork deep into the ground so that you are securely under the bulbs and gently pry upwards. The depth will depend on the depth of the bulbs. The process may have to be repeated on all sides of the bulbs until the clump rises out of the ground without resistance. Forcing the bulbs up with one insertion of the fork may injure them, however, they are not so delicate that you can't apply light pressure directly against the clump. If you are digging a big bed of bulbs, start on one end and work to the other, that way, after the first row of bulbs are dug, usually one insertion of the fork will lift the bulbs as the dirt will have been loosened on the opposite side by previous digging.

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