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One thing I've noticed after moving back to the Netherlands is how absolutely obsessed people are with keeping things "tidy". In a way, it's nice I guess, at le

One thing I've noticed after moving back to the Netherlands is how absolutely obsessed people are with keeping things "tidy". In a way, it's nice I guess, at least sometimes, but it comes with some serious costs too. This is not unique to the Netherlands, but we're probably the best (or worst?) at it, except maybe Singapore.

bamboozled 4y ago
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/24/let-fallen-leaves-lie-gardeners-in-netherlands-town-urged-eindhoven https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/24/let-fall... Article from today, “let fallen leaves lie”
- Beltalowda 4y ago
  It just so happens I live in Eindoven, so I guess some more explaining is needed. They're working with the leafeblower now. I hate those contraptions so much.
  - dutchbrit 4y ago
    As a fellow Eindhovenaar I hate the leaf blowers too!
- noasaservice 4y ago
  I blow them off my wood deck, so they don't rot and damage the wood. I let them lie on the rest of my 1.6 acres. And the 1 acre that's forested, we're working on trying to de-invasive-ize the forest and try to help rehabilitate it. Its just 2 of us, but we're trying.
  - galangalalgol 4y ago
    Are there any guides on "deinvasiveizing"? It seems like a complicated topic. Some non native life is considered to be non invasive, having found a homeostasis its new nich (common carp as an example). And some native life is considered invasive by some because it is so well adapted it crowds out all other native life (some bindweeds) Given the dramatic impacts we have made on a global scale, is trying to preserve de-humanified areas realistic anymore? Or are we supposed to simply try to maximize the diversity of life without regard to what life was in a place before humans arrived?
    - noasaservice 4y ago
      We're looking at the super-low-bar of doing things like removing known invasive plants as published in the state's DNR. They maintain a yearly list of nasties to remove. We also don't use any chemicals to do the killing, as so many of those have terrible side effects. Killing larger invasives involves something as simple as "black contractor bag enveloping and tied at base". It captures all the seeds, kills the plant, and provides easy removal. We also see that a lot of "lawn grasses" are also pretty invasive especially to forests. So, we also try to keep the lawn encroachment from happening..... as much. Ive done the high tech solution of "lay a slab of plywood on the grasses at the edge of the forest"! We're also designing our garden with local plants in mind, including rarer plants for our area. If/when those flower and seed, we're seeing natives with natives. And the non-natives we bring in are checked for invasiveness. Basically, it's being low-key stewards to the land.
      - galangalalgol 4y ago
        Thanks! One well intentioned mistake we made at a previous residence was to plant some flowers for pollinators that were not native. They weren't invasive, but they were prolific. The issue was that they bloomed late enough that the butterflies didn't move on and froze.
- jspash 4y ago
  From near the end of the article: "Sometimes people find it a bit gross when we put the mulch back in plant pots, because it smells a bit woody" Are people really so detached from nature these days that the smell of wet wood puts them off? I do despair for humankind some days when I read this sort of thing.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - jobs_throwaway 4y ago
    seriously, who are these people who are grossed out by the smell of mulch? Did they grow up in a laboratory?
- collegeburner 4y ago
  wow, that article mentions controversy over the smell of leaf mulch... kinda reflective of how sterile those cities must be for someone who has never visited, so much less surprising they have fewer bugs. Heaven help them if someone ever puts in manure or fish compost :)

bamboozled 4y ago

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/24/let-fallen-leaves-lie-gardeners-in-netherlands-town-urged-eindhoven https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/24/let-fall... Article from today, “let fallen leaves lie”

Beltalowda 4y ago
It just so happens I live in Eindoven, so I guess some more explaining is needed. They're working with the leafeblower now. I hate those contraptions so much.
- dutchbrit 4y ago
  As a fellow Eindhovenaar I hate the leaf blowers too!
noasaservice 4y ago
I blow them off my wood deck, so they don't rot and damage the wood. I let them lie on the rest of my 1.6 acres. And the 1 acre that's forested, we're working on trying to de-invasive-ize the forest and try to help rehabilitate it. Its just 2 of us, but we're trying.
- galangalalgol 4y ago
  Are there any guides on "deinvasiveizing"? It seems like a complicated topic. Some non native life is considered to be non invasive, having found a homeostasis its new nich (common carp as an example). And some native life is considered invasive by some because it is so well adapted it crowds out all other native life (some bindweeds) Given the dramatic impacts we have made on a global scale, is trying to preserve de-humanified areas realistic anymore? Or are we supposed to simply try to maximize the diversity of life without regard to what life was in a place before humans arrived?
  - noasaservice 4y ago
    We're looking at the super-low-bar of doing things like removing known invasive plants as published in the state's DNR. They maintain a yearly list of nasties to remove. We also don't use any chemicals to do the killing, as so many of those have terrible side effects. Killing larger invasives involves something as simple as "black contractor bag enveloping and tied at base". It captures all the seeds, kills the plant, and provides easy removal. We also see that a lot of "lawn grasses" are also pretty invasive especially to forests. So, we also try to keep the lawn encroachment from happening..... as much. Ive done the high tech solution of "lay a slab of plywood on the grasses at the edge of the forest"! We're also designing our garden with local plants in mind, including rarer plants for our area. If/when those flower and seed, we're seeing natives with natives. And the non-natives we bring in are checked for invasiveness. Basically, it's being low-key stewards to the land.
    - galangalalgol 4y ago
      Thanks! One well intentioned mistake we made at a previous residence was to plant some flowers for pollinators that were not native. They weren't invasive, but they were prolific. The issue was that they bloomed late enough that the butterflies didn't move on and froze.
jspash 4y ago
From near the end of the article: "Sometimes people find it a bit gross when we put the mulch back in plant pots, because it smells a bit woody" Are people really so detached from nature these days that the smell of wet wood puts them off? I do despair for humankind some days when I read this sort of thing.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- jobs_throwaway 4y ago
  seriously, who are these people who are grossed out by the smell of mulch? Did they grow up in a laboratory?
collegeburner 4y ago
wow, that article mentions controversy over the smell of leaf mulch... kinda reflective of how sterile those cities must be for someone who has never visited, so much less surprising they have fewer bugs. Heaven help them if someone ever puts in manure or fish compost :)