Dahlias are very easy to grow from seed and well worth the adventure. You'll end up digging the same huge clumps as though you bought tubers at the start.
Crittergarden - I'm still trying my best to have a weed free garden. This year we used more mulch than ever before and had very few weeds. Our vegetable garden was 30 x 20 (still is) but now it's The Park, where I grow dahlias, hydrangeas, a few roses, clematises, Louisiana irises along with a few vegetables. I've had degenerative disc disease for many years but vegetable gardening never seemed to be the chore, or drudgery, of many other plants...like the evil Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon'.
When we had over 2000 daylilies I divided them with strong knives from thrift shops. That's far easier than digging up clumps, rinsing off, twisting apart, etc.
Vegetable garden photos and then The Park photos: