There was, in a discussion in general, commentary regarding a rarity of open patches for planting or gathering dirt.
Here's a thought from a newish player (funny, I don't look newish): brainstorm a way for devs to let players make new patches.in some other fashion. For example, if there is a potion called "Soil Enricher" that can be made with the right chemicals, a player might be able to make it, pour it on empty ground (there might be some rule to figure out, regarding how far away from another patch), and make a nice new patch of soil, suitable for either planting trees or plants. Perhaps there might be different types of potion for each, or, just perhaps, there are different potions for each that might work in different areas (after all, Ix might have a different overall chemistry than Groddle, given that's one of the few places gas plants can grow...).