Getting organised

Whereas I enjoy being organised, it is not my natural bent. The geranium (or pelargonium, according to your bent) shown left came as a lovely surprise. I took cuttings last season but the labels got mixed up so we had to wait until flowering to know what we had got. Sometimes, photographs exaggerate colour but, on my screen, it is pretty true. Also true for this one, shown on the right here

Now I'm growing for others, labelling receives much more attention. There's a third salmon shade (not shown) in this series which we shall also be 'offering', as the commercial nurseries say, in the future. Mrs Codger loves all three shades and we look forward to taking cuttings soon

New blog feature
As we mentioned yesterday, you can stay abreast of what is available by clicking on <PLANT NOW!> which is displayed top right on the homepage. But please bear with me. "Plant now" is hardly the right label for a houseplant and I need probably to invent another category. Delving in the engine room of the Blogger software often produces unexpected results which I am trying to correct (may even get sorted today but don't hold your breath)

Several varieties of lettuce almost ready

EAT NOW!
The Garden Blogger Board of Management has unanimously decided (not difficult) to offer fresh salad crops. As you can see, the lettuces are almost ready for 'sale'. We shall be happy for you to have these as they become ready and settle up with a donation at the end of the season. As you know, all our crops are organically grown. In fact, I would not offer them, at all, if I were using chemicals. I feel that to be an important safety feature. the photograph here was taken at 6:30 this morning. No watering needed we had obviously had a good shower in the night. So, if you are interested, simply click on the <EAT NOW!> button and get in touch

Discovered these on Saturday

With a little help from my friends
I get asked about pest control. Pests are wildlife - something often overlooked. Garden Codger aims to sustain a balance. A few slugs are not a big issue; total eradication is unrealistic  - and, actually, undesirable as they are a food source for the frogs and toads that I want to encourage. Likewise, the sparrows deal with many of the aphids that are around. Mind you, there is a downside with the birds - they love my lettuces. See the unprotected row in the photo below. At least I keep them well fed! 

Feeding the sparrows

As I have mentioned in an earlier post I find it necessary to cover many crops with netting to minimise bird damage - but that's fine. It is not as troublesome as you would expect - once you are set up for it. More on that in a future post


Attracting wildlife

Watercress on edge of the stream

How to attract wildlife? Simple question - and, actually, there's a simple answer: water! It is obvious, as soon as you really think about it. And there's another advantage: having water in the garden also widens the range of plants you can grow. It is a win-win no-brainer! However, a stagnant puddle is a good way to get lots of gnat bites so more needs to be said. So, please excuse me making this yet another topic for yet another day . Gardening is ceaselessly interesting because of the challenges it brings and the insight it gives into the wonderful world around us that is so wonderfully designed for our benefit

This was taken when visiting Boskoop in 2016

We could go on and on. But we have run out of time this morning - Mrs Codger is waiting for her breakfast! Just time to mention that we have another Dutch episode tomorrow - here's someone I know well in our friends' charming little garden

Best wishes from your friend ...

... the old Garden Codger

PS - always seem to have an afterthought - if you have the stomach for concentrated Chelsea you have saturation coverage this week by BBC tv for an event that is locked out by lockdown!