Since this is my first time ever doing plants direct in ground, I may not be the best advice as far as first hand knowledge, feel free to chime in here any other points, suggestions, or comments
@Mohican @treemansbuds @partlycloudly
@doublejj @whodatnation @getawaymountain or any you other guys I know have that have been rocking the outdoor following along.
The things I considered and had to make sure I made steps to prevent:
Gophers - laying hardware cloth in big ass holes I dig
Stem Rot - planting in smart pots and not fully burying them, so the top/stem section is slightly above soil level
Arsenic - my well has it, so had to make sure my soil didnt as well
Soil composition - mine has a ton of clay in it, and holds water due to all the constant rain, so adding a ton of compost, straw, and such to break it up, aerate etc.
Placement- this is kinda without saying, but saying it anyways. Once the plants in the ground - that's home. Choose wisely, and live with the results
I believe in the ground you also have to make sure to water properly, and be much more observation of the soil moisture levels because they certainly don't dry as fast as smart pots.
but yea, in general plants in the ground, when proper planning is followed, will produce plants to their fullest size as they is obviously no such thing as root bound in the ground - well I guess if you live where theres only 2 inches of top soil, and have bedrock really close to the surface. The Willamette valley (where I live) is known for excellent soil, and even my native stuff when digging is full of earth worms, and as far as native soil goes, pretty good.