Here is the only photo I could find because I lost all of my old photos years ago. This is my Nepenthes x Ventrata while it was still small. I also have a purple and a pink flowered Pingicula. Here is a close up of one of the tiny traps on the Utricularis species I have in my aquarium. The plants have become a huge mass floating at the surface and tangled in the other plants I have in the aquarium. I am really hoping that I can get it to flower in the aquarium. Mike

@Gail Please use complete sentences and for goodness sake turn the darn capslock off. There is no need for all capital letters and it is incredibly annoying (it is like you are yelling in the form of typing). Now, about your dahlias: Check the stems to see if anything is boring into it. If no evidence of holes leading in, dig that plant up during a cool time of day and check the tuber clump for rot. I am guessing that one stem has roots and the other is more attached to a rotted tuber. If a rotted tuber is found, put on a glove and pull away as much rotten part as possible. Give it a good spray with the hose and replant it and water *moderately*. It sounds like you are using a ton of compost, so I would tone that down a bit until the plant is really growing strong again. You may want to let the plant grow on in a well-drained pot for a bit before plunking it back in the ground to let it build up a good root system. Whatever you do (ground or pot), water Moderately to avoid further rotting and do not let it dry out completely to avoid stressing the plant. The third tuber might be a goner, only way to tell is to dig it up and look. All dahlias have to have a bit of crown (sprouting area where the previous season's stem was) to grow. If it doesn't have a crown, nothing will grow. If it does have a crown and isn't rotted try putting it in lightly damp potting soil and keeping it in the house where it is nice and cool for a bit until it sprouts. Then plant it back outside on a day that isn't sweltering summer heat. @Everyone else I agree with the dahlia guy that they should definitely be covered completely with soil. As long as you don't overwater, all is well. The extra soil to burst through will make for a more upright and sturdy stem that needs less staking as it will steady the plant better. If no growth after planting for a good three weeks, then sure, dump the pot out or dig up the tuber and investigate.

Maybe that's why mine won't bloom, I have it on a hook next to my bed, but far away from my east facing window. I think it did/does have a peduncle on it, but it looks like every time it would bud up, they would blast. Brad AKA Moonwolf

Get a soil test done to find out what your soil might want; the local cooperative extension will most likely do this or be able to refer you to someone who does. At a guess, based on your location, the soil is most likely acidic, based not on the leaf litter which tends to be relatively close to neutral, but based on the geology of the area. I doubt you need to worry about walnut trees since they aren't happy in zone 4 IME. Look for varieties of plants that are geared toward short growing seasons. Depending on how your trees were taken down (trees removed by machinery or horses or just you) the soil may or may not have extensive damage, but I think you will be most successful if, as others have mentioned above, you look at the results of your soil test and amend as recommended, turning the forest litter and any amendments in. After that if you want to not disturb the soil, go for it, but as someone else mentioned, the soil conditions of a forest may not be the best for veggies. I create paths in my gardens so the beds are clear enough that they don't get walked on.