For the past two winters I have tried to keep these bulbs over the winter. The first year I put them in sand in a large rubber container in my cold room. Didn't work. I was told the sand may have been too wet. Last year I dug them up carefully and put them in brown bags and put them in my cold room. I brought them up in March, planted and watered and waited and waited. Nothing in anything. I have finally given up. Before I buy any this year I would like to know what I am doing wrong. Help please!

It may be that you (Planted) the bulb too deep. Begonias sit very shallow on the soil. when I start mine I don't cover the top at all. They also can take a while to show any growth and even then there are only a few slight tips that start. How did the bulbs feel when you started them? were they nice and solid or were they soft? If they were soft maybe you didn't dry the bulbs sufficiently before you stored them. I leave mine out on the counter for a few days to completely dry before storing in dry peat moss. Hope I could help a bit.

I've kept the same set of Begonias for about 5 years with no problem. Like Alnoro I let them sit on the fridge (on newspaper) for about a week before putting them in dry vermiculite and storing in a cool dark place. They will tell you when to plant them. I always wait until I see a few nubs sprouting (it can be as early as February or as late as the end of March) before I plant them up. If you over water at this stage, they rot. Alnoro is dead on, make sure the soil level is bellow the hollw depression in the center of the corm.

Best of Luck!