You have to protect the root zone of potted nursery stock, even if they are considered 'hardy' in your zone. They fare a lot better in the ground than sitting out in a bad zone six winter in a pot on a porch, or stuffed into a garage. Your little pixie tree isn't going to throw so much shade that it's going to take up a lot of space with its canopy shade unless you have a postage stamp lot. Even then it's probably doable with blueberries nearby. I grow my blueberries in a dappled sun situation and they're loaded every year. I also do not prophylactically use pesticides on my fruit trees, because I do not have a lot of insect pressure either. I keep a small orchard, and don't invest that much time in its upkeep, short of pruning. So many people are scared off by what they consider the high upkeep of fruit trees, when they aren't that difficult. Plant the little guy and enjoy.

Get the cheapest plastic containers you can stand, but buy them in pairs: one to plant the plants in, and one 2-4 inches wider. Put the small one into the large one, and fill the space in between with styrofoam peanuts (preferably recycled). In case of high winds, put a thin layer of gravel on top of the peanuts. Fill the inner pot with your favorite potting soil, and plant. Tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage like to be planted deep--up to 6 in. deep for tomatoes, 1-2 in. for broccoli and cabbage. Everything else shouldn't be planted any deeper than it was in the original pot. In fact, it's best to leave about 1/4 in. of the original soil showing. As for what to plant with which, everyone has different ideas about companion plants. I haven't noticed much difference, myself, except that onions, garlic chives, basil, rosemary, and oregano repel many pests. Also, the blueberry will probably need to be by itself, since it will need special acid-forming fertilizer. Don't be surprised if the broccoli and cabbage are disappointing. They need cold weather to form heads, and almost all of our cold weather is past. Hope this helps! Kevin : )

My recommendation would be to call pioneer gravel and sand, and get a price from them for soil. It's much cheaper when you are buying it in bulk. They will bring it by dump truck, and you'll have to haul it wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow to where you need it at, but it should be much cheaper. If you tell them the dimensions of your bed, and how deep the soil needs to be, they can give you a pretty good estimate of how much more soil you need, and how much it will cost. They have a very nice soil mix that I've used for my rose beds, that is much less expensive than buying it buy the bag. I think I paid $100 for a dump truck full when I bought mine several years ago now. It shouldn't be much more than that. Good luck! Easy

Pls. don't be intimidated - I usually get to the point and do not believe saying things just to make reader feel good. There is lots of incorrect info on net, and when new (and even not so new), it could be difficult to know what is correct and what not so much. There are many blogs out there, some are terrific, but many are not and give haphazard advice. I appreciate anyone taking time to 'make a blog' - I would not spend the time - but info is often gathered from who-knows-what sources. We all are learning, all the times :)! IMO, stem cuttings and 'leaves' require same care - neither has roots. If I may say so: you crammed too many leaves into that round container - while it is impossible to say how many will root, if many do - they get crowded too fast and you'll have to start repotting/potting them while too small. I usually leave them to grow bigger before handling: main reason is to get plants as strong as possible, not to damage fragile new roots, and also space! I wait often until mother leaf dries up and just about falls off. It's not really bad, just makes things bit easier on you. Many leaves will start growing even just on a tray or piece of paper. Some may be fussier, but look at these (xGraptoveria 'Fred Ives') - and I am not even trying to grow more of them, have enough. But I knocked the pot while moving it and these good looking leaves broke off - should have put them on compost heap! The main plant has long, naked stem - but I just noticed it is going to bloom (first of these flowering for me):