Does anyone know anything about gardening?

The future of gardening

https://twitter.com/IntEngineering/status/1014803125935280128

Ever seen photos of the early days of traction engines being used for farming?
1 traction engine either side of a field, almighty looped chain between them,
shuttle-plough going back & forth?

roboc(r)op

Thats not gardening.

Tomatoes.
Anybody tempted by the superb weather to allow more than the normal 4 trusses per plant this year?

What can I do with a glut of cucumbers?

Set up an online crust-less cucumber sandwich service for time-starved vicars?

Is there a market for easily disposed, single-use, organic dildoes?

Use them in everything.
Slice them in your water. Put them in your salad. Make quick pickles.
I enjoy a bowl of cucumbers/gherkins sliced lengthways with a tiny sprinkling of salt.

pickle them in salt and rice wine vinegar

Çaçik;
Thin short slices/sticks of cucumber in plain yoghurt.
(May have to let the cucumbers drain any excess moisture if they are very watery, to avoid reducing the viscosity of the yoghurt too much).

Looking to re-do our terrace at some point and originally liked the idea of reclaimed red bricks in a herringbone pattern, with wide grout lines to encourage small plant / moss growth.

But chatting to a building mate has revealed that reclaimed bricks are £1 up a brick.

Does anyone have any ideas? (house is a 50s semi). The current paving is a bit shit and grey, and only laid over rough ground.

Also what's the latest in the year you could lay a new terrace?

Pps any votes either way for painting vs wood cladding for the planters? I'm inclined to paint, 1) for ease and 2) as they'll dry faster if you want to sit on them.

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What can I do with a glut of cucumbers?

Schmorgurken!

http://www.mykitchenintherockies.com/2011/08/13/schmorgurken-hackfleisch-pfanne-german-cucumber-ground-beef-stir-fry/

Çaçik

Also known as tzatziki across the Aegean. :)

Needs a glut of garlic to go with it.

You can get paving bricks, which aren't as deep as regular house bricks. My other half got a load off eBay for petrol money for the guy who was getting rid of them to deliver them to us.

Block paviours are only about £12/square metre (50 blocks), they don't have to look shite, here's some I did last week.

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Thanks for all the cucumber advice guys. I'll get pickling today!

If you are feeling lazy you can but semi rustic looking pavers which are connected together already in a pattern from b and a here

Haven’t used them myself, but potentially going to for our front path.

These look quite nice - thanks!

Thanks for all the allotment advice...

Cheers all. That's really useful. (pic of the house brick colour for reference).

I'm quite excited to see what that bed looks like a year later when we move back, as I planted a few bits before we left. Equally the whole garden may be absolutely destroyed.

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Yep we are using the charcoal ones, will be surrounded by green slate which matches our roof... should be laid in the next month or so, will take pics once I have done

How's your grass looking?

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Cute puppy, what breed is that?

I've been weeding this weekend, hateful exercise... Winter grass has popped up all over the lawn, need to get rid...

TBH there's very little grass on our lawn, it is mostly grass like weeds...

He's a shorn/sheared Jack Russell crossed with fuck knows what. In the winter he looks more like a Sheltie or mini long-haired German Shepherd. He's nearly 6 yrs old and is an utter sun worshipper.
There are a few long seed heads of grass that have made the effort but it's all yellow and dry. A whiff of rain and I'm sure it will bounce back. We've just been blessed with a water meter so I'm loath to use the hosepipe on it.