If you are repotting tomatoes you'll need a potting mix more suited to container growing. I'm not quite clear on what you're doing with your garden soil - you said you want to use it and wondered whether you should rake it, then you said you want to make raised beds, then you said your landlord wants you to get rid of it. In any case, whether your soil is sand, silt or clay, to garden successfully it will need plenty of organic matter - compost that is. You can use what's there, just amend it liberally with compost. Look around for a cheaper deal, but make sure what product you're buying. Sometimes bags of 'compost' or various other names are not very good products. Check what's in the bag. Also, look into a bulk load - is there a local compost facility you can buy a pickup load from? Much cheaper that way. And don't expect miracles the first year, it takes time to improve soil if you want to do it both right and cheaply. Good luck and keep us posted!

Well, I was hoping I would have gotten some input by now, but I will give a little update. I dug down with my fingers to the tops of each herbaceous peony which is not up, and I do find eyes that are still alive. They are small and white, though, so I'm assuming they will probably just not come up this year and I will have to wait til next year to see if they live. As for the tree peony. It may be just my hopeful imagination, but over the past couple of days it does appear that it's new growth may be perking up some. I can actually see a couple of flower buds in their earliest stages, and though the foliage remains withered looking, I see some areas where it appears the leaves are trying to open. I knew peonies were peculiar plants from one previous attempt many years ago to grow one that was given to me (I failed). To be honest, though, I did not know how particular they really are. My next door neighbor when I was growing up had clumps of giant white-flowered ones all over her yard. I specifically remember the ants crawling all over the unopend flower buds and her telling me to be careful not to cut down the young shoots each spring, as I mowed her yard (yes back when kids actually worked). I will still appreciate input from others, but I think I may actually start checking out some local nurseries and garden centers to see if I can find any potted peonies to replace the two herbaceous ones that are performing poorly. If I find any (peonies are pretty hard to come by here in Alabama), I may just pot the two and see if they come up next year. As for the tree peony, all I can do is try my best to baby it and keep my fingers crossed. Everyone do the same for it. The only other plants I have ever spent that much money on in my life are my Crimson Queen Japanese Maple and my Snowfountain weeping cherry.

Your planting depth in the pot is not so important as when you plant in your garden. In a pot it will grow only a short time before fall will make it dormant in your zone. I think I would sink the pot in the garden as you don't know now where you will plant it. When it does go dormant I would cover with leaves to prevent dehydration over the winter. I would not fertilize at this time. When you do plant in the garden, prepare the area soil with compost dug into the soil. This from a peony grower in a much different climate. Al

Ants won't jurt them, see #4 on the link. Here is a link that might be useful: ants