Topic: LEEK QUESTION

[Duke Ellington]

My leeks went into the allotment quite late last year.  At the moment they look very healthy but they are very small. Will they get much bigger over the next couple of months or should I just eat them as baby leeks?

Duke :)

[kt.]

Most varieties still in the ground from last year will best be eaten as baby leeks as it is unlikely they will grow much if anymore.

[Morris]

My leeks often go in late - I usually do an early and late batch, and sometimes the late batch is later than I intend!

They actually make quite a bit of growth in March/April before bolting. Once they do start to get woody in the middle you can still eat them, but you need then to either pull the lot and eat or freeze them or let them seed.

[cornykev]

I dug all mine up on the 10/3/11, mine were late going in and weren't massive, they were in my way and I feared them bolting as it starts to warm up, so out they came.   :P 

[aj]

Mine have bulked up significantly over the last few weeks; I keep eating until I see the first flower head coming up.

[Duke Ellington]

Thanks for the advice:) I think I will pull them up and eat them as baby leeks. I will need the space that they are growing in in a month or so too:).

Duke

[Trevor_D]

As leeks are a biennial, they bulk up more in the spring than the autumn - and then go to seed. So keep an eye on them and use them just before they bolt. (Even when they bolt, the outer bits can be used as soup.)

My next-door-neighbour used to transplant them if necessary!

But you've been eating them since October! I like leeks too, but who wants to eat them for six months? And who wants to eat leeks once the asparagus starts!!

[aj]

I have about 8 that throw up seed heads each year; and as these are Heritage varieties and I originally selected them for their quality - I never have to buy leek seeds as these give me a shoebox full of seeds each year.

[saddad]

Oooh, what variety Aj... I'd like to try them...  :)

[Dandytown]

Last year I used the largest first and the remaining 20 or so have been moved with the hope that they would grow on and I would have a constant supply of leek.

Guess I will have to give away and freeze as bolting is likely.  Do they just go straight in the freezer?

[goodlife]

Yep..just chop up and freeze.. ;)

[artichoke]

"...who wants to eat them for six months? And who wants to eat leeks once the asparagus starts!!"

Me, I do! I slice them into every sort of casserole (at the last moment, for a fresh taste and bright colour), chop them finely (raw) into salads, as my Thai daughter-in-law does (also into spring rolls), add them to soups - they are endlessly useful and I never have enough. They add flavour and bulk and colour to all sorts of things.

I love asparagus, but will carry on using leeks to the last possible minute. I also save seed (mixed varieties, long forgotten the names) because it costs far too much to buy as many leek seeds as I need.

I also love the cream cheese in Germany which has finely chopped raw leeks in it, and sometimes do that myself.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I have about 8 that throw up seed heads each year; and as these are Heritage varieties and I originally selected them for their quality - I never have to buy leek seeds as these give me a shoebox full of seeds each year.

How do you stop them crossing?

[aj]

Oooh, what variety Aj... I'd like to try them...  :)

Sorry - busy week - didn't see this

They are Bleu De Solaise.

Fantastic variety and bulk up nicely each spring. Yum.

[aj]

I have about 8 that throw up seed heads each year; and as these are Heritage varieties and I originally selected them for their quality - I never have to buy leek seeds as these give me a shoebox full of seeds each year.

How do you stop them crossing?

I only let one variety flower.

[RSJK]

I have about 8 that throw up seed heads each year; and as these are Heritage varieties and I originally selected them for their quality - I never have to buy leek seeds as these give me a shoebox full of seeds each year.

How do you stop them crossing?

I only let one variety flower.

What if other varieties are being grown close by ...how do you prevent cross pollination

[aj]

I have about 8 that throw up seed heads each year; and as these are Heritage varieties and I originally selected them for their quality - I never have to buy leek seeds as these give me a shoebox full of seeds each year.

How do you stop them crossing?

I only let one variety flower.

What if other varieties are being grown close by ...how do you prevent cross pollination

Nobody else lets their leeks flower, only me.

If they did, and they cross pollinated - then they would still be leeks right? We'd just end up with a version of our own. I'd notice the next year and go back to the year before's seed and if the new variety wasn't any good, I'd dig them up and start fresh. I'd probably have a chat and see if we could both decide on growing the same variety - or ask them to try growing something else for seed and split our seed harvest each year.

There's other things to worry about than leeks cross pollinating.  ::)

[Robert_Brenchley]

They're unlikely to cross unless the other leeks are very close. You can perfectly well plant different varieties next to each other and let them all flower. The result is a grex (mixture), and from that you can select over the generations to develop your own variety.

[aj]

They're unlikely to cross unless the other leeks are very close. You can perfectly well plant different varieties next to each other and let them all flower. The result is a grex (mixture), and from that you can select over the generations to develop your own variety.

I know. It was you that asked me how I stopped them crossing!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Only you said you had several rare varieties, so I knew you were keeping them separate! I don't know quite how far apart they need to be, but I'd feel fairly confident about two varieties at opposite ends of the plot. I wouldn't try it with brassicas though, as honeybees are too fond of them, and they specialise in a single species.