I think the raised bed approach would work well for your vegetable garden especially with the clay soil you mentioned. The key is layering cardboard at the bottom first to suppress weeds then adding a mix of compost and topsoil. You will want at least 12 inches of depth for root vegetables. I found that watering in the morning rather than evening helps prevent mildew on the leaves. Your tomato plants should go in after the last frost date which looks like it is around mid-May based on your zone. The drip irrigation system you asked about is pretty straightforward to set up with a basic timer.

I also wanted to mention that the soil pH test kit arrived yesterday and it looks easy to use. I can bring it over this weekend if you want to test your bed before planting. Just let me know what time works for you.
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Regarding the book club selection I actually enjoyed the character development in the later chapters more than the beginning. The authors style takes some getting used to with the shifting timelines but it comes together nicely. I think the discussion questions for next month could focus on the main characters decision in chapter twelve. A few of us were saying that the setting felt like a character itself which might be interesting to explore. Let me know if you want me to bring notes or if anyone has specific passages they want to highlight during the meeting.

I also finished that article you sent about urban gardening and found the section on container growing particularly useful. The tips about drainage layers and soil mixtures were practical and easy to apply on a balcony.