I went out to feed the chickens the other evening, as usual. Several of our hens have decided they are broody (wanting to sit on eggs and raise young). Two of them had set up housekeeping together in the back of a spare shed, behind a bale of insulation. This particular evening as I walked through the gate, I saw their heads pop up just enough to see me......they instantly decided they weren't coming for food yet, as they had to protect their nest of eggs from me, the egg thief (I was removing eggs and not letting them hatch them).....So, they puffed themselves up in a united front, clucking and generally saying "Go away!" in chickenese. Greatly determined, they looked quite formidable.....(pic taken a bit later when they had returned to the nest, as I didn't have the camera with me right at that moment)....

So, as I did every evening, I picked them both up and gently tossed them out the shed, so they would go eat, and to break their broodiness.....only to find my fierce warrior hens were bravely protecting.......

It's entirely possible that I should not be allowed to drive any distance on my own. Because that's when I start thinking.....and getting ideas......

So there I was, driving along in my automobile, no baby beside me at the wheel.....pondering:
Where to plant my zucchinis this year - they didn't do well last year and I wanted to make sure I had a good crop this year...

And I thought of this patch of ground I hadn't decided what to do with yet.....and these rubbish bins I've got doing nothing....and that old ladder on the roof of the shed awaiting a creative project.....and that half bale of pea straw that needs using up......and that half finished compost in that pile......and I dreamed up this.......(details below):

I planted four zucchini plants in each bed. The idea of the bin with the compost and the holes is that I can water the zucchini by putting a hose into the bins, which will dissolve compost and water it out through the holes, watering the zucchini with compost tea (feeding them at the same time) as well as avoiding wetting the leaves (reducing risk of fungal infections).

I used some offcuts of steel mesh and cable tied them to the ladder halves to give more of a mesh for something to climb, and topped up the bins with some spare potting mix before planting a cucumber in each bin, and some Petunia seeds as well. I found a spare greenhouse shelf, and cable tied it across the top to form the top of the arch. Hopefully the cucumbers will climb the ladders and cover the arch, the petunias will spill out over the sides, and zucchini will flourish! :-)