It is difficult to garden when you don't own your own house. You never know how long you will be living at your current residence, so it makes it hard to invest in crops that take a year or two to develop. I would love to plant asparagus, garlic and grapes, but they all take more than a year to yield any crops.
Another challenge is that you never know what condition the soil will be in. This can be an especially difficult challenge in New Mexico where neglected soil can be like concrete. The past three yards I've had at rentals have basically been driveways littered with glass. My current residence at least has some perennials planted and one long bed of dirt that has been worked in the last ten years. Unfortunately this bed runs along the fence-line and my neighbor has some weedy trees along the other side.
Last weekend my boyfriend's son and I painstakingly dug up the bed. It was full of stubborn roots that threatened to suck all the nutrients and water from my plants. Because of this I dug a little deeper than normal, about a foot and a half. You never know what you're going to find when you dig. I found an old Budweiser can, a lot of glass, and a plaid shirt that belonged to either a child or a very small woman.
After the dirt was thoroughly sifted through for any remaining roots I added steer manure and planting compost. The dogs immediately thought it was a nice spot to take a nap. Some fencing might be necessary. This year I want to test the soil to make sure it has all the nutrients it needs for vegetable growing. You can pick up soil testing kits at the hardware store for under $10. It seems I'll be ready to plant lettuce, spinach, and peas by March 4th, which is the earliest planting date in Albuquerque for these early spring crops.
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