Growing in Boulder is not easy. The unpredictable weather and altitude impacts everything. In the high country it can snow in any season. Here in the Valley (5400 ft), I have experienced snow in early May and early September. The winds frequently roar out of the canyons and off the peaks. Fifty miles per hour gusts are not unusual. It is dry, and rain is scarce. Yet in the approximately 150 years that white folks have lived in Boulder the landscape has been transformed.
Boulder seen from above, is heavily treed. Large hardwoods line the older streets and grow in every yard. Flower gardens both private and municipal are nurtured throughout the growing season. Boulder settlers have changed the environment from that of high desert where only a few evergreens, cottonwoods and specialized plants grew, to a city graced with an abundance of non indigenous plants.
However the earth remains the same. Hard clay with lots of rocks. The rocks in my garden often seem to multiply faster than the plants. Every year in every bed more rocks need to be removed. In order for plants to survive organic matter must be added to the beds. We have added yards of organic compost, and still need more.
Boulder is not the Midwest. There one can plant seeds, ignore the garden the rest of the summer and still have a crop. Here in Boulder the garden must be tended every day. Watering is essential, smart watering is necessary. This involves drip and line systems. Watering from above does not work. In the summer months it is so dry and windy, that the water can evaporate before it hits the ground. The plants and the people here must be hardy and hard working to survive. Growing is a matter of patience. I have noticed that plants eventually develop, but not necessarily in the time I expect. I must wait for the plant's own timing.
I can only imagine what the early settlers experienced trying to bend nature to their own will. The Native Americans who lived here had it down. They were both growers and gatherers. Corn was their main crop. Their relationship with nature was tempered with acceptance. Certainly they honored this challenging place of amazing beauty that we now call Boulder.
The white settlers came to first extract minerals, pelts and timber, and then to cultivate and start businesses. They were persistent and managed to establish a community that has thrived throughout its history. The Native American are gone. As usual numbers, persistence, broken promises and unbridled killing has prevailed.
I really only wanted to talk about growing. I am no expert on Native Americans or the first residents of Boulder Valley. However, I do think that their growing practices were sustainable. I imagine that they planted along the stream beds once the flood season had passed. They used everything that they grew. Their traditions were to honor and respected the land. Many of us now living here attempt to do the same. We succeed in varying degrees.
Living here has been both hard work, and a blessing. I am reminded of a Boulder myth. This myth is ascribed to Chief Niwot, one of the last Leaders of the Arapahoes. It is said that his curse to the white folk was "You shall always return to Boulder". Whether this is a curse or a blessing has never been clear to me. Perhaps in the long run there is no difference.
Boulder seen from above, is heavily treed. Large hardwoods line the older streets and grow in every yard. Flower gardens both private and municipal are nurtured throughout the growing season. Boulder settlers have changed the environment from that of high desert where only a few evergreens, cottonwoods and specialized plants grew, to a city graced with an abundance of non indigenous plants.
However the earth remains the same. Hard clay with lots of rocks. The rocks in my garden often seem to multiply faster than the plants. Every year in every bed more rocks need to be removed. In order for plants to survive organic matter must be added to the beds. We have added yards of organic compost, and still need more.
Boulder is not the Midwest. There one can plant seeds, ignore the garden the rest of the summer and still have a crop. Here in Boulder the garden must be tended every day. Watering is essential, smart watering is necessary. This involves drip and line systems. Watering from above does not work. In the summer months it is so dry and windy, that the water can evaporate before it hits the ground. The plants and the people here must be hardy and hard working to survive. Growing is a matter of patience. I have noticed that plants eventually develop, but not necessarily in the time I expect. I must wait for the plant's own timing.
I can only imagine what the early settlers experienced trying to bend nature to their own will. The Native Americans who lived here had it down. They were both growers and gatherers. Corn was their main crop. Their relationship with nature was tempered with acceptance. Certainly they honored this challenging place of amazing beauty that we now call Boulder.
The white settlers came to first extract minerals, pelts and timber, and then to cultivate and start businesses. They were persistent and managed to establish a community that has thrived throughout its history. The Native American are gone. As usual numbers, persistence, broken promises and unbridled killing has prevailed.
I really only wanted to talk about growing. I am no expert on Native Americans or the first residents of Boulder Valley. However, I do think that their growing practices were sustainable. I imagine that they planted along the stream beds once the flood season had passed. They used everything that they grew. Their traditions were to honor and respected the land. Many of us now living here attempt to do the same. We succeed in varying degrees.
Living here has been both hard work, and a blessing. I am reminded of a Boulder myth. This myth is ascribed to Chief Niwot, one of the last Leaders of the Arapahoes. It is said that his curse to the white folk was "You shall always return to Boulder". Whether this is a curse or a blessing has never been clear to me. Perhaps in the long run there is no difference.
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