A cut too far

Posted on February 1, 2013 by argylesock

About argylesock

I wrote a PhD about veterinary parasitology so that's the starting point for this blog. But I'm now branching out into other areas of biology and into popular science writing. I'll write here about science that happens in landscapes, particularly farmland, and about science involving interspecific interactions. Datasets and statistics get my attention. Exactly where this blog will lead? That's a journey that I'm on and I hope you'll come with me.
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4 Responses to A cut too far

  1. EqFe says:
    February 1, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    In Maryland, there is a process of converting farmland into housing develpments, as part of that process a certain amount of the land is allowed to revert back to nature, and eventually will be a small clump of forest. This practice is one of the reasons that we are overrun by deer. Personally I think that more should be set aside for community gardens, but there isn’t much demand for that here. I wonder if some of your parkland, where the funds are short for planting trees could be converted over to community gardens.

    Reply
    • argylesock says:
      February 2, 2013 at 7:31 am

      I like this idea. Over here we have allotments, which aren’t quite the same as your community gardens – they’re a wonderful tradition and part of our landscape. In recent years allotments have returned from a very low phase in which their tenants were getting older and gradually dying off, to a phase in which they’re so trendy that people queue for years to get a plot. I’m gestating a blog post about allotments.

      Reply
      • EqFe says:
        February 3, 2013 at 1:46 pm

        What I;m really jealous of is that you have them for the long term Her I have to renew my seasonal lease annually, The plot is plowed in early April and has to be cleared in November so no asparagus or strawberries etc.

        Reply
  2. argylesock says:
    February 3, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    I don’t understand why you’re kicked off the land every autumn, then given it again (or maybe a different plot?) the next spring after it’s been ploughed. That stops you building up the soil as you’d choose. And as you say, it stops you growing perennials.

    Reply

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