the folk wisdom is that you shouldn't replant tomatoes in the same place year after year. but-i've grown mine in the same place for 25 years and all seems to be fine. everything else you can just dump on the soil and let it go-the soil biota will handle all the work.

There's nothing wrong with taking soil from a tomato growing area and working it into soil in a perennial garden. Whatever pest/disease might be present via growing tomatoes in one spot for years is very unlikely to pose any real hazard to ornamentals.

Potting soil is fine (I compost it along with plant trimmings and leaves) as a garden amendment. You just don't want to use mixes with a lot of perlite, as it's very lightweight, comes to the surface and looks funny.

brer - take a chill pill. Relax. Planting things doesn't have to be a pass/fail effort.

Thanks to my parents practicing organic gardening for 50 years, I have healthy, slightly-acidic sandy loam where I live. I began winter sowing perennials, shrubs & trees back in 2009. The trees (dogwood, apple & pear) are now taller than I am. I used MiracleGro Moisture Control potting soil back then and haven't noticed any less success in my garden beds after planting out winter sown plants along with the soil they were grown in.

If your garden soil is healthy to begin with, whatever you plant out should grow well. I'm not in your zone. My parents practiced organic gardening for 50 years before I moved here. It never hurts to test your soil and keep track of the moisture your garden receives each season. Mine receives adequate rainfall each year to sustain my garden beds so I don't sweat whether or not it's healthy. That may or may not be true of yours.

TIP: Don't panic. Healthy plants generally survive. Keep in mind Ma Nature has kept the planet green the past few millennia.

You're in Zone 7 so a lot warmer than where I am. I recommend you have your soil tested so you'll know if it's clay or loam. Some plants thrive in clay soil; others don't. Do your homework and find out which will survive where you are. The information is readily available on the Internet.

Have all the plants I set in the soil thrived where I am? They haven't. Did I expect them to thrive where I planted them? Of course since I didn't know then what I know now.

A garden can be a colorful adventure and a journey. I hope you can calm down and just enjoy the trip. Last I knew, growing plants wasn't a Pass/Fail test.

The link below takes you to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Just do a search for the plants you want to grow & you'll have information about growing conditions.

TIP: Acquaint yourself with botanical names.

Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Botanical Garden