Edible Forests

Laura Pottorff of the Colorado State University's extension office is apparently convinced that "companion planting" is a load of crock. Perhaps she is really just trying to discourage people from fretting and worrying over-much about the negative effects of one plant on another.

Companion Planting does have a good history around it. And good logic. Some attributes of one plant can really help out another.

• Double-up production by:
• Tall plants can act as shade for smaller plants
• Deep roots don't compete with shallow roots so much
• Vines that crawl across the ground might could be planted under tall stalky plants.
• Keep our neighbors healthy:
• Onions and Marigolds can repel some pests. They are not the only living repellants
• Some plants can be sacrificial and lure garden pests away
• Other plants can attract good insects like spiders and ladybugs

This just makes a certain amount of sense.

I am beginning experiments on Edible Forests. I will be creating some circle gardens at a farm I volunteer with to see how well they do. Currently, we are over-run with weeds. They are choking out the plants we want to grow. Doing basically what weeds do.

My hypothesis is that with good companion planting, I can create some "edible forests" in which the weeds have a hard time competing with what we want.

So: in theory:

1. I need deep-rooting plants
2. Shallow rooting plants
3. Tall plants
4. Perhaps some ground-cover like plants
5. And all of them can be started in late July... In a high desert.... a Dry Denver hill.
6. Plants that like each other fairly well.

Second tier problem is to worry about pests. But there are quite a few lady bugs out on the land already. Bugs do not seem to be too much of a problem. It is the Buffalo Burr and the bloody Bindweed which are our chief problems.