First of all stop treating with even organic pesticides. (Except for the target ones like BT) You're killing the good bugs. It takes 3 times as long for them to reproduce to any quantity as bad bugs. They will catch up and give you a fighting chance.......trust me. You are not going to stop the SVB. Replant now because they are not active much. Fall actually has less bugs. They are winding down too and our heat slows everything down except squash bugs and grasshoppers. Next weak plants are a bug magnetic. So are over-fertilized ones. Start replanting and amend the soil with compost. It takes a couple of years for everything to get working together but if you keep doing it organically it does work out. Also remember that the variety of the vegetable can make a big difference in how well it does. Keep trying until you find one that does well in "your" environment. Keep working at it. Next year treat your onions more like lawn and less like carrots. They need nitrogen to grow lots of leaves that make big onions. Rabbits love chard so cage it. Same with spinach. Both can take good fertilizing since the leaves are the stuff we eat. Both do well in fall and usually go right through winter with just a sheet for protection. Corn is tough to grow unless you have a big area but there are good bugs that can control some of the problems. You just have to let them get a good start. Ultimately the soil has alot to do with it. Keep adding compost and amending with organic fertilizers each spring and fall. Side dress the plants at critical times like bloom and fruit set to give them some a little boost. Don't over do.......slow and sure wins the race. Don't overwater in the spring and then underwater as it gets hot. It sounds like you've got it. Your timing might be off just a bit but experience will come. I know it's hot and frustrating and I even have to push myself to do the little things but hang in there. Replant tomatoes and such in the blistering heat and follow the planting date calendar. Come late October, you'll be eating chard and spinach again and looking forward to cabbage. Just remember.........behind every great gardener are a ton of dead plants. The difference is they learned from their mistakes and kept plugging along.

You guys are so nice! Many thanks! Joyce, Therese and I will be using the Florida room next year...and we look forward to it. The area is not heated and the days have gotten colder lately. We have laid down on the 2 lounge chairs which we got as a gift from my family and friends. Janice, the flooring is made of ceramic tiles which I have laid with my son Marc. Jill, I'm doing just fine. I have adjusted to my new lifestyle. Inasmuch as I do not like to inject myself each day with Lovenox, nevertheless I got used to it...and this is part of my daily routine now. I dont feel sick, I eat well, somethimes my bones ache but nothing serious that I cannot endure. I keep busy, and take life one day at a time...Who knows?...I may live many years yet! Mary, you remember well. I have transplanted my best looking hostas on one side of the concrete steps, so Therese and I will have a perfect view next summer. Carol, we went to see my brother Mau in Montreal...and when we got there...surprise...all members of our families and friends were there to celebrate our 50th. It was a wonderful gathering! Thanks for your toast.... Papou

This weekend I pack up all the Christmas stuff and start on the winter sowing as soon as Christmas is put in the attic. It takes a while to get it all organized. Both the packing Christmas and setting up the winter sowing. This week I pulled everything that is not asleep outside and watered it. Today I make sure everything is put back inside and tucked in. oh dear...I have some daff bulbs I had to dig up last summer that need to go in the ground today too. Sigh/ there's always some major project that needs doing!

Engrgirl, there can be a great deal of variation in bloom times from one dahlia to another. I grew 30 different dahlias here in CO this year, and the first bloom on one of them was around the end of July. Another one, treated identically didn't offer the first bloom until mid-September, with the others falling in between. It was a season with a late start because of lots of cold rain in May, so I didn't get them out until late May. I agree with cici that more shade will only make your problem worse. Did you remove the plants from the pots when you planted them? I've had good success in past years by starting the tubers in big 2 gallon pots, drilling lots of holes in them to allow big roots to make their way out, and setting pot and all into the ground at planting time. I would recommend digging some balanced fertilizer into the soil at planting time, especially in new, sandy soil that doesn't already have anything in the way of nutrients. I have well drained soil and have to water my dahlias almost every day. It's also a good idea to put your supports in the ground at the same time as your dahlias. I use five-foot long rebar. If your plants were already flopping over to the ground at two - two and a half feet, it sounds like they were either already stretching to reach more sun or subjected to a lot of wind. If your soil is really sandy, it may not be holding the water and nutrients well enough for the plants to make use of them, in which case some added organic material such as peat moss or shredded leaves worked into the soil might help. I hope you may find some of this helpful.