How does your garden grow?

We have a garden plot! Woo hoo! Exciting stuff! I've been musing lots on the joys and challenges of living in temporary communities since I've started this journey in college, but 10 years later and still "homeless," (that is, still living in temporary housing) I'm beginning to be grateful for the blessings that come with life in community.

One of the perks here, living in student family housing, is a community garden. Although it's March here and usually we're well into the beginning of gardening season in Vancouver, and our seasoned compost pile has been delivered and is ready to be dispersed on the gardens, its darn cold! I don't think I'm going to be planting in the immediate future. But who am I to know? I truthfully know nothing about gardening. I am no expert. I can pick produce once it's ready for harvesting, but the planting part-- ???

So, you garden experts out there... any suggestions?

More on community life.

Pluses:

I just walked to a big community center here on campus and met my friends for our mom's Bible study. Our kids played happily with the college gals that help us out on Friday mornings and we sipped hot drinks and shared life together. Definitely a big perk. Yay for community centers and living close to Christian women from Church.

My neighbor had a bike accident a couple of days ago (literally neighbor, we share a wall) and I could easily whip up a pot of soup for them last night. I'm enjoying the budding friendships growing in our little housing area. (Recently, we crashed their 3 year old daughter's birthday party and they fed us dinner!)

There are students with young children everywhere. Many go to daycare but many are home. When Josie is particularly antsy, we can walk around the neighborhood and find someone to talk to or play with. Lots of times someone who speaks Chinese-- I get to practice Mandarin on a regular basis.

It's easy to be involved in the lives of students here on campus. Last week a former student of mine visited from Toronto and it was such a wonderful time just hanging out in my little (sometimes sunny) kitchen and make applesauce while the kids slept. My Tuesday night small group has been such a blessing for me as well. I'm so glad that we have this chance.

Minuses:

Definitely laundry. I do diapers twice a week and the whole family laundry once a week. I could probably do diapers 3x a week if I was really trying to always have both kids in cloth diapers, but I'd say we're probably half and half at this point. I probably save on time overall with folding laundry and doing it (I can do it all at once in the 4 washers and dryers in the laundrymat) but timing the process of doing laundry can be very tricky with 2 little people who may or may not have the same nap schedule. It's now scheduled into my week-- 6:30 am on Tuesday mornings before I head to the pool. Oh, there's another plus to living on campus-- swimming! In walking distance (or in my case, biking distance).

Mold. Our windows never seem to dry out and there is constant mold on the windows and sills. But that comes with the territory I think. We do live in a very wet place.

I can't think of any other minuses at the moment. More plusses are price, convenience to get to Regent, living in the midst of a forest and a college campus...

Coyotes. Yes, wild animals. Real ones. I had to shew a coyote off the path between our houses and the gardens yesterday. We are surrounded by the huge forest, and with it, wild animals. The coyote hardly cared that I was headed straight towards it waving a stick! It just ran into the garden and started digging at what was left in the dirt. This can't be good. Just need to remember never to leave little ones out alone! Ever! But once I was almost home I looked up and saw 2 eagles circling overhead. Gotta love living in the Pacific Northwest!

Well, it seems like the kids are making noises in the stroller I wheeled in the front door because they were both sleeping (another plus) so I better wrap up my rambling.

But, gardens.... please please, any suggestions are helpful. What do you most like to grow??? And what do I need to do it besides a raised garden bed, water, compost and sunlight? I've been saving my egg cartons. Can I plant seeds now to get a head start there?