I came out to NZ from Suffolk about 7 years ago and have bought a 40 acre property on the Banks Peninsula, South Island. A case of letting my heart rule my head I'm afraid- the site was so spectacular with a view over the harbour! The property had been owned by an eccentric nurseryman who had planted (or overplanted) ornamental trees and shrubs everywhere, so what started out as pasture, then became garden is now a jungle and is growing almost visibly before my eyes. I did not anticipate the speed of growth when I arrived and suddenly a little while ago I realised I was in danger of losing my sea view because of tree growth. That has been remedied for the time being. I have 2 house cows and chickens, plus the obligatory dogs. My lodger, Ben, came back last evening in the pouring rain/sleet with two lambs he'd got from a friend, they are now in the orchard and missing their mothers, the object of this exercise is free mowing in the orchard and free meat in the freezer.
My problem is that I was in a car accident recently and cannot organise my veggie beds for the spring - which is, being the southern hemisphere, here. I have been reading about lasagne gardening - does anybody know anything about that? It sounds easier than digging and I have such problems with weeds here.