I have been planning my garden around the concept of companion planting for both above-ground and below-ground benefits to the plants, of which there are many. Recently, I discovered that sunflowers — the really tall kind — make excellent trellises for cucumbers, with the added benefit of making the cucumbers sweeter and some nitrogen fixing properties. Groovy, right? I know what sort of ridiculous trellises I am capable of building, and if I don’t have to build any, that would be delightful. Since I am already using the “plant as trellis” concept in the Three Sisters Mounds, why not do it in the main garden as well?

Sunflowers attract birds. Apparently, they attract a lot of birds. I have no need for anything that attracts birds. I have enough birds, thank you very much. In fact, I have so many ravenous plant-eating birds, I already have plans to drape my entire garden in netting until the plants are so well established the birds can’t kill them, and then protect my veggies with small nets as well. I need no more birds.

Still, how lovely would it be to have my cucumbers growing on huge sunflowers?! It’d be awesome and beautiful! But … more birds?! I should take a photo tomorrow to show you the mass of birds that visits daily to peck its way through my yard. Truly, it’s an insane amount of birds.

So, are you sick of all the gardening talk yet? Sorry. This is the week when things are really getting in motion and plans need to be made, so I am pretty much living gardening 24/7. I am even dreaming about it! I promise once the seeds are starting and the beds are built, and the cool season veggies are planted, I will return to having a normal life with other things to talk about rather than just gardening, gardening, gardening^†

1. † This is potentially a lie. I stand on the precipice of becoming a total and complete gardening fanatic. I will do my best not to let that happen, but I make no promises. It’s possible I will jump headlong into the void and never look back. I do love the gardening. [↩]