Running Barefoot.

After wearing thin, minimal sandals almost everywhere, running and walking, work and play, inside, outside, safe or not, I feel qualified to make a few quick, perfunctory statements.

1. They work pretty well. At least if your feet aren't already falling apart on you. if your legs and joints aren't suffering a bit. They take a bit of getting used to and new muscle development, so don't take it as an advert and always think for yourself. But they work well. Our feet and legs were designed to walk barefoot.
2. But not on rock. They don't work on rock. Our legs do not work on rock. And by rock I mean sidewalk. Concrete. 

I have not worn these thin sandles running every time. Today, I ran down some city streets. When I can, I go into yards and dirt and grass.

Where my stride truly becomes natural. On the rock, I'm tiptoeing. it's not working very well. On soil, it's fine.

Course, sidewalk isn't good for anyone. No matter what footwear you have on. It's hard to avoid. We are always provided with ample access to everything we shouldn't have.

An Edible Gardeners Reference

It's hard to find a straight forward reference to use in the garden. I like things being on one page. All the information utterly accessible.

For anyone in Denver, the Southwest, Midwest, or Rocky Mountains, this might be useful:

Edward Morrison's Late July Gardening Reference for Denver, Midwest, Southwest, and Rocky Mountains

A few notes on the symbology:

• Xs are good things
• capital X are pairings that are frequently referenced, especially good.
• x are companions
• /   that's half an x. They are probably good, but aren't as specifically beneficial
• P is for "Pest Prevention"
• P  Denotes a Pest Preventor! This plant either attracts the good or scars the bad.
• p  little p is also a pest prevention marker. That is what this pairing will do for you.
• q  that's a backward p. Like the half x, it implies some pest help, but not so clearly.
• Some specialty marks: they explain the benefit you will likely have.
• 3/  used once. In this reference, plant 3 basil's per tomato for pest prevention.
• n  plant nearby. Or in "alternate rows"
• s  the benefit this plant provides is shade.
• 0s are bad things.
• 0  these plants are enemies. Plant none of them nearby.
• )   That's a half circle. It implies some animosity.

Beans? What Beans?

For a beginning gardener, the term "bean" is an evil, awful, no good, very bad word.

It's just too vague.

What kind of bean? A green bean? A dry bean? A bean bush? A pole bean? A legume? Black beans or pinto beans or string bean?

Sure most of these probably have more in common than not. The dry beans probably have a lot in common with each other. But when the word is "beans", with no further explanation, I get stuck. Trying to figure out what different sources mean by "beans", especially when they have different conclusions, sucks.

Here's a wish that people think about being a little more clear.

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.

Arvada Square: A Better Plan