Thanks Phebe. I originally was going to go with an all dry Japanese inspired garden, but then the fruit & veggie bug bit me, so I am trying to find a balance between stuff and negative space. I suspect that balance will always be shifting... Al, I'll keep my eyes on the roots as I progress down this Smart Pot adventure. Six new Dave WIlson low-chill fruit trees: Royal Lee Cherry, Minnie Royal Cherry, Red Barron Peach, Saturn Peach, Mid-Pride Peach, Arctic Star White Nectarine. Potted up into Smart Pots filled with UniGrow potting soil, left the root ball intact and just nestled it in the middle with the potting soil packed around it. I'll be doing more research and getting some root training, so in the Spring I can repot and prune, possibly using Al's Gritty Mix. Here is a link that might be useful: Front yard with 6 new containered fruit trees

Damp-off of very young seedlings has never been that much of a problem for me, but I think the reason for that may be how I germinate them to begin with. It's a cue I took from my mother, which is basically to put the seeds in the same pot (around the edges of the pot) with an adult plant then water the adult plant the way I normally would. It means I don't use bottom heat and whatnot, so things sprout when it naturally becomes warm enough for them, but pretty much I don't worry as much about damp-off because there are older roots using the same water in the same pot. It's when I take the babies out that I experience problems. As I mentioned, I actually put some young Calamondins back with their Rangpur Lime host plant to recover after this winter. The other thing I practice quite a lot is the theory that it's not dead until it's dead and even if I'm sure its dead, it's worth a shot. You wouldn't believe the number of citrus seedlings and cutting grown figs I had come back to life after the moving issue the spring before last. I actually use the much maligned self watering pots, but not as self watering pots. The designers would say I'm using them totally backwards. I'll go down my line of trees and tip them to dump the water if I notice water actually standing in any of the reservoirs. (I can't imagine using them to "self water" because what that really does is create a high water table for root rot.) If you've ever taken a moment to look at one of those things empty, the bottom of the pot that sits inside the reservoir is like a pasta strainer. So long as the reservoir is always empty, drainage isn't a problem.

5-1-1 mix works pretty well. Yes, it dries out fast but why not just water it every day? I prefer roottrapper over smart pots though. Doesn't dry out as fast and white covering keeps root system cooler. Here is a link that might be useful: roottrapper

In zone 7B, it is unlikely that a generously sized container - like one suited to growing a dwarf fruit tree - would freeze in winter. And if you use a high quality potting soil, drainage shouldn't be an issue so they should be able to remain outdoors, exposed to the elements, without worry. I grow a lot of trees in containers, some much more sensitive to cold temps than most fruits, without worry. The only ones I've lost (and it hasn't been many) have been through my own negligence/lack of care, not winter issues. There are concerns with growing trees in containers but that is more to do with the correct type of potting medium, fertilizing and repotting/root pruning than cold issues with such a mild zone. The Container Gardening forum has a great thread on growing trees in containers - you might want to seek that out for additional info.