We have recently been inundated with rain, rain and more rain. The problem with that is that it is time to have the lotties all cleaned and winter-ready, as they say. The ground has been far too moist and soft to do that. After days and nights of downpour, yesterday it was sunny and dryish. I could begin preparing the bed for the broad beans that I am presently germinating in the greenhouse. The only problem is that in the pen where they need to go, there is a nest of Pythons. They have wound themselves around structures there and are being awkward. So long as they are there, the plot can't be prepared my for the over-wintering crop. Well, there was nothing for it but to wade in-- knife in one hand and my trusty secateurs in the other....lopping here, lopping there. Wrestling that beast for all I was worth, and he was being awkward at every opportunity and in every way possible. It was messy and I got a few scratches, but finally I managed to impale one with my border fork and as I hoisted him high, I looked down only to discover that he was still firmly embedded in the soil! What a monster he was too, but where there is a will, there is a way so the saying goes...and eventually I got him dislodged from his lair and lifted him out of the pen and onto the sidewalk, dragging my prize to the bikes where I cut him down to size, that smart-alec. Well, that was the first one, but I had to go back in and get the rest of them. Those menacing monsters put up a good fight, but in the end I managed to evict them all. They were more than 4 meters(4 yards) long and had produced so many babies that I lost count early on. The work getting the soil min-tilled and fertilized was not too difficult except where the paths had been. The bed is ready now, so let the bean plantlets come and I can begin weeding the adjacent strawberry beds as well. We lifted the rest of the parsnips and got on with the rest of the chores for the day. I grew this special type of "climbing courgette(zuccini) last year, but it did much better this year in it's new place.
When I started reading this I thought know way PYTHONS .I'd give them the dang lottie. Then I read on and you told that story so great and got so much work done.I you very much on your success and enjoyed your narration very much.What an imagination you have.
Here I was, thinking you'd finally found a solution to the mole and rabbit problem in your lottie. Amazing size of vine, well done! I think I might just have let it sit there until spring and planted my broad beans somewhere else.
Well I had a feeling that pythons in Holland would make the headlines so guessed you were wrestling with something that didn't, quite, try to swallow you!! On second thoughts the vine was big enough to battle with you and do you some damage. So glad you managed to conquer it in the end. :-D
Loved your naration. Reading it, though I had hoped you had some help. Then wondering how you had scratches instead of bites. Bet your glad to be done wrestling those vines as they can be very scratchy. Myself, I won't be doing any zuc's next year. They will be replaced by pumpkins and more acorn squash.
No pythons here...after a late summer drought we were lucky to have worms! The few zucchinis that I had were small and tough. It sounds like you were rewarded for all you efforts. Great story, and I hope I have pics to share of my garden next year after a disappointing growing season this year.
Thank you folks. I made a sturdy structure to support those courgette vines, but it was far too inadequate. Next year, I shall have to build something more substantial, that's for sure. Well, perhaps the support wasn't all it could have been, but the yield from those plants was supurb. Thanks Glenda--Well, you know what they say, when one has too much spare time...he will get up to mischief.
Too funny Sjoerd! I'm glad you managed to evict those Pythons and prepare for your beans. Gardeners need a good sense of humor
pythons That tale is right up there with Arabian Nights, Sjoerd. Pythons vanquished, it all came right in the end. Conratulations. Gardengater
WOW - here I am thinking - HOW EXOTIC for a Dutch lottie. :-D You are hillarious. Hee Hee. That is one huge plant. Gosh I really missed this!
WOW I just had to read this when I saw Pythons! When I saw the size of that vine I knew why you called it that. Good going that you bested it and got it all down. It did look like it gave you some nice zucchini from it though.
Geeez i'm so far north and out in no mans land that i actually thought for a moment, how cool, hope he didn't to close to it....lol. Now i see you was right in the middle and wrestled your way thru a ,,,,,,,,,,,zuchini jungle. lol. That was fun Sjoerd, great narrative.
Thanks for your responces. I'm glad that you found the narriative amusing. It was a chore that I only saw the humour in AFTER it had been completed. The plants had grown so much that they had totally covered and entwined the far too inadequate frame that I had built for them.--Last year, the plants that I had tried over in the new plot only got to half the length; so I never expected this. The 'fruits' that I got from these plants (to me) taste the best of all the squash and zucciuni plants. I heard also heard this from other folks that I had given them to during the course of the summer. I had not said anything and waited to hear if they had noticed. Some did, but couldn't explain to me in what way the taste was better. Well, I find the courgette something with such a mild flavour that it is difficult to pick out the flavour when cooked with other things. I do not smoke and credit that as the reason that I can taste the difference. My partner does smoke and she doesn't notice a diffeerence. Oh well, they are fun to grow and harvest, so I shall be doing them again next year.
