VAARPOLDERS

A lot of dredging has taken place in West Friesland. Due to dewatering of the peat bog, the peat started to clump and oxidize, as a result of which the West Frisian soil eventually fell below sea level. To compensate for the subsidence, dredge from the ditches was spread across the land. The calcareous silt provided a better structure and fertility of the soil.
As a result of the dredging, the ditches became wider and the plots longer and longer. There were 'boating polders', where there were no roads before the land consolidation and transport was by boat. Examples of former sailing polders are the Grootslag (north of Enkhuizen) and the Geestmerambacht (north of Alkmaar).
The small fields were used in the past to grow early products. As a result of the large surface of water, sailing polders were less sensitive to night frosts.
Around North and South Scharwoude, the plots had become very small and surrounded by a lot of water due to dredging. The area was known as the 'Empire of a Thousand Islands': the inhabitants turned the swamp into a fertile island kingdom by digging navigation ditches. On average, each horticulturist owned seven islands, which could only be reached by boat. The farmers worked, sowed and harvested their fields with their bare hands.
The Oosterdel area is the last piece of unparcelled area of the Geestmerambacht. The fields are unique and in this form no longer present in our country.

Biker