Chasing the sun

We are leaving New Zealand for the winter.
The chooks have gone back to their owners, who are back from their summer travels.
Today we dropped the worm farm off at my friend Debbies for the winter.
The vege garden has been stripped and covered in weed cloth.
The grapes have been pruned, and the garlic has been planted.

 

Covering the vege beds with weed mat is the best way I have found to get the vege beds through the winter without them being covered in weeds on my return.

I tried green manures, but we started returning so late in the spring that the green manures had already gone to seed and the weeds had crept in on our return.

It doesn't look pretty, but it seems to work.
There is still lots of fruit on the trees, but we shall leave it to the birds.
The figs and grapes are just finishing, and the late apples are doing fine.
A few days ago we had a big wind storm and the first of the feijoas blew off the trees, so I got my first taste of the season of those. The kiwi fruit are starting to ripen, as are the cherry guavas.
Always sad to leave, but business beckons.
We are off to Thailand for a month, then back to Canada where we can enjoy the spring and the beginning of a brand new season.