On doing things the "hard" way

I tend to do things the hard way. Or, maybe a better way to say it, the slower way, the manual way. Today's example because it's what I will be doing in a couple of hours: mowing. I do it all with a battery powered push mower. It takes longer but it's excellent exercise. I'll mow in sections, usually 30-50 minutes on any day that I mow.

This isn't about cutting grass. Grass lawns are a nightmarish monoculture lacking the diversity of a healthy ecosystem. My intent is to minimize grass lawn, mow as little as possible and to encourage diversity.

I "manage" about 3 acres of rural Missouri land. The sections that resemble a lawn have never been planted with grass seed but are the result of mowing what was here to begin with which is a mix of things that resembles a grass lawn. It's still unnatural in that it is mowed short for walking. My general rule is to only mow sections that are actively used by myself or family members.

The exception to this is controlling an invasive plant called Lespedeza which is trying to take over about 2 acres of land that would otherwise be a mix of semi-native grasses and wild flowers. It's difficult because each plant will put out thousands of tiny seeds in September which is why it spreads so aggressively.

Management is either chemical, burning or cutting. Some suggest all three. I don't use chemicals and would prefer not to burn so I cut. The best way to manage by cutting is to only cut in the fall just as it is flowering but before it puts out seeds. At that point, right now, the plants are likely 2-3 feet tall and can be quite thick. And I'm doing it with a push mower. Most rural people just use a small tractor of 4-wheeler and a brush hog. But I don't own either and prefer to avoid burning gas and diesel anyway. Climate emergency and all that (doing the hand wavy thing).

And so, today is day three of an expected 5 to 6 days. It adds up to 5 to 6 hours of work total. It's really not that difficult. Sure, it's true that the work could be done in 1 hour with a brush hog. That's the usual way to "save time" and reduce the physical effort. But it results in more carbon and particulates being emitted. Is that the better method?

My method is an hour of exercise each day that I want and need. The lespedeza has been mowed and my health maintained. There's also the side benefit that as I mow with the push mower I can go around the small patches of wildflowers that are managing to survive the attempt by lespedeza to take over. Going slower means I can see and go around the few small trees or bushes that might be coming up that would be better to let grow.

From yesterday's mowing, a great spangled fritilary gathering nectar from a milk thistle.

On a more subtle level, mowing by hand has my feet on the ground. There are no gas or diesel fumes. There's less noise. There is me getting exercise and actually appreciating and learning more about the landscape.

I would argue my slower manual process is better for my health, my understanding of the ecological landscape and for the health of the planet.