Thank you! Very helpful!!! It's very hard to find just straight up seeds that are sold. I found one source and they also have an Amazon store, Outside Pride. The reviews on Amazon are mixed. I'm going to start some of these seeds indoors with my AeroGarden (it's a consumer grade hydroponics kit that has a seed starting (soil based) attachment) to see how it works out. Some of the videos I've watched on YT seem to correlate well with what you're saying about seeds--blooming first etc.
I just really like Dahlias...and I'd like them MORE than zinnias if I could get them to grow throughout the summer. I'm not so much concerned about the flower type, just as long as they're tall, and good for cutting. Since, all I can find are Pompon seeds, that's what I'll be doing, unless I harvest my own seeds too.
When you say 'single set' petals, I could get those genes in my seeds, even if I don't have any single set dahlia flowers, right?
Thanks again for your thoughtful response.