Inside
A friend once told me something which I think is true and wise: “To be a good neighbour, you have to have a good neighbour.” No matter how well intended you might be as a neighbour, it will amount to nothing if your good intentions are not appreciated, let alone reciprocated. There is nothing more satisfying than to live next to kind and thoughtful people who treat you with respect and generosity.

Unfortunately, we all live in circumstances beyond our control and we don’t choose our neighbours. That being said, one can make an honest attempt at being a good neighbour and if that fails, then all one can do is to protect one’s privacy and property.

McCauley is like any other neighbourhood in that you can either be fortunate or not in who lives next to you. Holding inconsiderate neighbours accountable is one of the unsavoury aspects of living so close to others, but it is necessary at times. You have the right to live in peace and safety. While it is important to acknowledge the positive aspects of good neighbours, it is equally important to empower oneself by dealing with those who pose concerns, whether that be contacting the City (311) or other authorities appropriate to the situation.

I would like to end on a hopeful note by mentioning that we all have potential friends and allies in our neighbourhood, if we are willing to recognize each other and build relationships.

Out
As the days begin to lengthen, the sunlight becomes stronger, and seed catalogues to arrive in the mail, I (Jen) start to dream again of green things growing. It’s a bit too early to start seeds in the house, aside from the very long season vegetables such as onions and leeks, parsley, and asparagus (a perennial that can be started from seed, though people often buy established crowns to plant). But it’s not too early to plan!

For annual vegetable gardens, part of planning is looking back to last year. What was planted where in the garden? Different kinds of vegetables deplete the soil of different nutrients, or foster pests and disease in the soil, so rotating crops is an important part of a healthy garden. I avoid planting the same family of plant in a particular area two years in a row. Increasingly, in the annual parts of our garden, I plant polycultures (a mix of different kinds of plants) rather than monocultures (a block of the same kind of plants). This way the drain on the soil is more even, and pests have a harder time finding their favorite plants.

Our frost dates in Edmonton (the average dates of last frost in the spring and first frost in the fall) are May 7 – September 23. These are not a guarantee, but rather a helpful guideline for planning when to start seeds both inside and out. Seed packages often indicate how many weeks before frost one can start seed inside, so doing some of this preliminary research will help with your planning as well.

Dan and Jen live in McCauley.