Well, based on my gardening experience for many many years, you're getting a perfectly normal crop. I don't know why the little short chubbies appear. My guess is it has something to do with pollination. But, they do appear regularly, and, as you say, they taste just as good as the pretty ones. I wouldn't worry over much about it.

Most of those recommendations are for your "average homeowner" they are guidelines for those with little or no experience/knowledge about turfgrass. No, I'm not suggesting someone in zone 5 should follow my fertilization schedule for zone 7, nor I'm suggesting that an "average homeowner" in zone 7 should follow my fertilizing schedule - that's up to whomever wants to do that. What I am suggesting is that you don't have to follow every thing writen in lawn books because their approach to lawn maintenance is VERY conservative at best. ceighmey asked why his lawn takes so long to green up when his neighbors' fescue lawn are already green. My suggestion is based on personal experience and good observation of turfgrass during . Because I fertilize my lawn even in the winter is that I have green grass nearly all winter, and most if not all of my neighbors' fescue lawn are nearly straw color - just the opossite ceighmey observation. For many years I followed NCSU recommendation with little to no success, specially during the summer months. Trial and error, years of hard work, searching, reading, ect, and a tremendous desire to succed put me where I am today. I can finally grow grass like sod farmers do in the transition zone. I can grow grass where most people fail... Someone once said, "one size does not fit all." It certenly holds true for many things in life, what you read in those lawn books does not necessarily translate into success. The advise is solid and based on proven results, not books alone. ceighmey, where exactly in Kansas are you located?

The purple giant turned bright white on the tips, magenta on the middle, and deep purple in the center. It looks fantastic and is doing wonderfully. Two of them have perked up. Ive noticed a difference in the structure of the... um.. bush? and foliage. The ones that look wilted tend to be less full and bushy. Much more lengthy, Also I felt the leaves, and they are perfectly healthy, firm. Not wilted at all. But their leaves look as though they are in a state of constant wilt. Because of out heat I try and keep them in shade. Dahlias do much better here when shaded for most of the day. They definitely aren't full sun plants down here. I try to plant them where there is full morning light and dappled shaded light during the afternoon. Some of them get hit by the after noon sun for an hour or so unfortunately. During the day it averages around 87. I say this because one day its 80 and the next its 90. We rarely reach 3 digits. and normally dont go above 95. I live nearish to the coast so it helps keep things cooler. At night I would have to say we reach from 60 - 70.

RJ, From your continual complaints about whiteflies, your infestation must be out of control. If it's as advanced as your complaints seem to make it, your infestation is beyond your plants ability to outgrow it without some help from insecticides. Insecticidal control can be difficult with whiteflies because they're resistant to some of the synthetic insecticides recommended for other garden pests. Always read and follow label directions when using insecticides. And find out whether the insecticide you're going to use is effective against the target pest. Before using a product for whiteflies, make sure it's really whiteflies that are infesting your tomato plants. If it is whiteflies, you could try horticultural oils which work by smothering the white fly effectively at all stages of this pest. Insecticidal soap or neem oil can be used to spot treat areas heavily infested by white flies. It worked for me earlier this summer. When applying the insecticidal soap or neem oil, make sure you cover the infested areas. The immature stages of white fly are easily overlooked because they are usually pale, nearly translucent and tend to blend with the color of the leaves to which they are attached. The first instar nymphs, which resemble small mealybugs, only move a short distance from the egg before flattening themselves against the leaf to feed. The remaining nymphal (developmental) stages do not move and may appear similar to other scale insects. You want to smother as many of the nymphs as you can with your insecticidal soap or neem application. You probably can't get them all, but you should inspect the leaves of your tomatoes and adjacent plants for the eggs and nymphs. Get'm before they hatch into adult whiteflies which live for one to two months and are just plain bothersome.