Thanks for all suggestions. For pots: do not use styrofoam peanuts. Eventually you will have to dump the old soil, and then it’s a mess. I use either empty plastic bottles, or just take one or more of those generic black pots that the plants come in and put it upside down in my planter. Regarding raised beds: perhaps at some point, strictly for the vegetables. I have way too many in-ground flowers and shrubs (and the unavoidable weeds cropping up in spite of mulch and Preen and Roundup) - to make that practical. Semi-tended or untended yards on either side of my backyard provide tons of wind-blown or bird-dropped seeds, so the supply is endless. As mentioned, THIS fall my knee should be in good enough shape to dig up the finicky plants, and scale down. But in spite of all the challenges, gardening gets me outdoors, and it does have its benefits. I.e. where in SC (or even NC, I think) could I buy red currants, early season raspberries, pink blueberries, or ground cherries?

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