I truly suck at the waiting game (which means the last profession on earth I should undertake is 'author'. B and I are going nuts waiting for the final word on the house being sold here in SA. It just makes forward planning almost impossible. Both of us are planners by nature. Sigh. wait and see does not work for me.
Anyway - for a writer (not a farmer) what is lowest hassle alternative Bush, forest, or rough grassland (I think the last myself - less fire worry, but more wind.)
Rock. Perhaps with a picturesquely twisted bush or tree rooted in a crack here and there.
ReplyDeleteHowever, for gardening, dirt is a good thing. And, IMO, dirt with the smallest number of roots is better. Would an orchard grow better in soil that is known to support trees? Or are the grass lands grass because of grazing and used to be forest? You can always plant trees for a wind break (and defend them from the neighbor's sheep and goats not to mention wild things that find them tasty.)
Most of the grassland is forest/bush/scrub that has been cleared for grazing. I am sadly experienced at the need to shroud small trees in netting!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any cliffs for sale :-(. (a bit of a hassle with the gradkids of my dreams I admit. But I'd love to have a cliff in the garden.
On mainland Tassie, you get so called "marsupial" lawns, where grazing pressure from kangaroos, wallabies and wombats keeps the scrub down, and you get a patch of open grassland; so some of it can be natural.
ReplyDeleteGrassland needs to be grazed by something or cut, otherwise it will revert to scrub. Scrub or forest needs least maintenance, but have a bit more fire risk and limits what you can do with it. If you want say a vegetable patch, a house cow and a few dozen sheep, grassland is your only choice!
Thanks Julian. That sort of bears out my opinions. There were a few pieces of 'grassland' for sale, which made sense to me from the fire point of view.
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