Carbon Sequestration on the Croft Yesterday I took a walk up to the top of our hill and saw our neighbours had started an extensive tree planting scheme. Their deer fences went up last year and furrows have been made ready for planting. We are still waiting for our management plan to be approved and…

A legacy from Betty MacDonald (Betty Rhemore) Back in December I said I would write about carbon sequestration, which I now regret, as so much has happened on the croft since then. We are also still getting our heads around the whole carbon caboodle. So, I’ll leave that for another day. As I write, the croft is…

Crofting and it’s role in a sustainable Scotland! Merry Christmas from the Wildcroft. Alasdair and I have just returned from a Scottish Crofting Federation gathering on the theme of “Crofting and its Role in a Sustainable Scotland”.  It was one of the first crofting events we’ve attended, and it fitted so well with what we…

Connections Last month, I talked about glyphosate-based herbicides (such as Round-Up) and their damaging impact on micro-organisms in the soil, which, studies have shown, can have a transformative effect on plant growth and resistance by extending root networks. The importance of networks (both below and above ground) is the subject of this month’s column. The…

Thistles and Bracken Our croft has two halves. The top is oak wood and hill pasture, and the bottom is meadows, hazel woods, and coastline. These are separated by a road. The cows spend time in both (we also now have a few sheep as well) and if anything, seem to prefer the oak woods…