In Seedfolks, what is one way in which the characters work around language barriers to communicate?

The garden is probably the quickest answer to this.  Part
of what Fleischman's strongest argument in the novel is is represented through the
garden.  The characters who have experienced different valence and experiences in life
are able to communicate through a shared interest.  The garden and the actions that
represent it help to highlight how the characters work around language barriers to
communicate.  The garden represents a shared consciousness, where individuals can
partake in something that is not solely one person's.  The preservation and maintenance
of the garden is not something that is one person's, confined by one set of lexical
expression.  Rather, it is something that is universal, applicable to all individuals
and spanning across cultural and linguistic differences.  In the end, this might be the
most profound statement of the novel, that human beings can unify and transcend
differences through shared experiences and collective
consciousness.