Robert Ray

so little time so much to do

I actually plant fava beans for their greens.

My side jobs come about through word of mouth.  Pricing for one offs can be tricky. Material, time, equipment are a given but then degree of difficulty comes in  there somewhere. Just because you can doesn't mean you should on some jobs. I always start by saying it could cost as much as ......   If I come I under the bid they are happy. That also gives me an opportunity to bid high if it is a job I don't really want.  Allotting time for jobs can be tricky too, you still have a real life of work and family.

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whoa, there goes Elroy

cat

I am just getting my arctic variety started that hugs the ground like thyme. The literature tells me to just run over it the fall with a lawnmower. Now I just have to get brave enough to do it without killing it.

Each berry has 3-5 seeds. I have this patch in a raised bed and do have some escapees that start from berries that fall off and out of the bed. The germination rate is quite high. I tried the strawberry companion route this year but my chickens took all the strawberries out. Marigolds flourished in the understory. The fern fronds get quite tall for whatever this variety is, it has been so long I don't remember. Well over 6 feet of whispy green looks substantial until you get close and see how delicate the plant is.

My raised asparagus bed has gone crazy this year. Time to harvest the seeds. If I were to do it over again I'd definitely move them to my kitchen garden zone 1 because those spears grow so fast it's easy to miss them in their prime.

I've been fortunate to have a lot of mentors through the years that taught me things.
I have a home jewelry studio and even though I really hate repairs, I do a fair amount of them. Bespoke pieces can earn me quite a bit through out the year. I have taught classes for the local Park and Rec. during the summer.
 I have cast larger metal pieces for tool repair and even hood ornaments for others. Replicating vintage knobs for cars and even a vintage waffle iron have come my way.
I never miss an opportunity to learn at least the basics about anything if given a chance. I'm also fortunate to have accumulated an incredible shop and studio full of tools that give me options when opportunity arises.