Check out the earthtainer construcion guide for some mix info for a self watering planter, or just search container mix. Most will be a soil-less mix, there are a ton of great threads on here regarding container mixes, fertilization, and also water movement/retention. The poster above "Al" has some very informative and detailed explanations. It seems like gardening is such a varied and expansive topic that searches very rarely yield a simple, direct clear answer to a question. The answers I have found have been partly from searches, partly from posting a question, and partly from reading older posts ( sometimes not directly related to my original question ). There is an enormous wealth of knowledge here, take advantage of it, I did and have learned alot.

Thanks, gardengal. About 90% of my yard gets full sun - especially along the back fence. That's in the sun for about 9-10 hours during the summer. I'll plead the 5th when it comes to fertilizing. I'm one of those, "Oh! I guess I should feed you guys something" type of person. LOL! I usually go only 1 zone lower. The tropical types (Cannas, callas & tuberose) over-winter in my mother's basement. A couple of others (hibiscus, geraniums, etc) are brought indoors. I have to keep that at a minimum- I don't have the space or the light to keep them. One thing about perennials- since they spread, every 3-5 years or so, I divide them. So where there was 1 pot, there are now 2. My daylilies were in one pot, left by the previous homeowner 10 yrs ago. The year after I moved in, I split them into 3 pots -- then those were split. I gave some to Mom and an uncle - so I'm back to 3 pots. Otherwise, I'd have about 8 or 9. OoS

Any cont5ainer that you use needs vent holes in the top and drainage holes in the bottom, with a clear plastic cover. There also needs to be growing space above the soil. I am familuar with wall paper treys and don't think they would be very good to use. 2 ltr. bottles and milk jugs are the most often items used however there is some who vary their container a lot. So alnost any container can be used with some improvision with 3 necessitys It must have drainage, It must have ventulation and It must have light, Natural.. jim

I was in a similar situation, trying to balance staying at home with my son and picking up freelance work. Needed to build an income stream over time. I don't have experience as a VA specifically but I'd say for freelance work and interview tips, remain confident and speak clearly during any virtual interviews on Zoom or Google Meet. You are probably competing with others for this work so try make yourself stand out while always remaining professional. For me as I started getting more freelance work I needed help with child care as its totally impossible to focus and get work done with a toddler roaming around lol! I found a great babysitter on https://weecare.co/ and had more time to grow my freelance work. Best of luck to you in your parenting and Freelance VA efforts!