Topic: Pot Leeks

[Tee Gee]

As I mentioned in another thread I am trying some from Kings and these are a couple I picked this morning after I wrote the previous reply.



As mentioned if the blanching gets above 6" measured from base plate to V of first leaves they would be disqualified.



The one on the left is a bit small and the one on the right is about the right height but a bit thin compared to what the specialists would grow.



To give some indication of  size that is a 3" pot stuck on the end.

When I measured the girth it was 8" meaning the diameter is 2.546 inches in diameter.

As I said god only knows what size they would have been if I had looked after them, as it was I had to wade through knee high chickweed to get to these.

[sparrow]

Crikey!

That needs a mammoth piece of cheese to go with it in the pot. 

[woodypecks]

They look good !  I have my two packets ready and waiting in the wings . Good old Musselburgh and Pot . both are from Kings this year ...It says Pot to be sown end Dec, Jan or Feb . When did you sow these Tee Gee ?     
I,ve also saved some seed from the ones I grew last year..not sure how good they'll be though ? Debs

[Tee Gee]

Hi Woody

This is is briefly how I dealt with my leeks this year:

06/02   2015   Sowed 40 Oarsman,40 Pot leeks,,40 Electra, 40 Musselburgh, 2 punnets of Electra (old seed)
14/02   2015       Oarsman, Pot Leeks, Elefant germnated (8)
15/02   2015   Musselburgh & Electra germinated (9)
28/02   2015   Potted up 15 Pot Leeks,21 Musselburgh,24 Oarsman into 3" pots
10/03   2015   Potted up 25 Elefant into 3" pots
11/05   2015   Planted out 21 Oarsman,11 Pot Leeks,23 Elefant,22 Mussleburgh,2 Electra

My seed trays sit on my hot bed set to give a soil temp of around 65°F (18°C) until they germinate.

I leave them like this for around 2 weeks then prick them out one to a 3" pot, and leave them in good light on the greenhouse bench.

At this stage the night-time heating in the greenhouse never goes below 40°F (4°C)

I plant them out around 8"-9" apart when the garden soil is beginning to warm up, in rows 15" apart.

Prior to planting I rake in Fish,Blood & Bone at around 3-4 oz per sq yard.( 75-100gms/sq metre)

This is all the feeding I usually give them in a season.

Having said that during my exhibiting days I would supplement this feeding, but as you see with the pictures above I see no point in going to the additional expense of fertiliser when I am only growing them as culinary Leeks.

Finally I would have to say I have neglected them a bit this year in terms of weeding.

Currently they are surrounded with Chickweed,Dandelions & Fat Hen but this does not seem to have affected their growth.

I hope that answers your question, and let me wish you the best of luck with next seasons crop....Tg

[woodypecks]

Brilliant !  Just scribbling that down into my little red notebook  thankyou and I,m sure others will be interested in this too .
Sowing leeks and watching them germinate , in what can be the coldest and gloomiest time of the year  ,helps me to know that we'll soon be into Spring again . ....and the leek is such a handsome vegetable isn,t it ? !

[Tee Gee]

What I forgot to mention is I sow the seeds one to a cell this saves root disturbance when pricking out.

I use a cell size that is roughly 1.25" x 1.25" x 2" deep.

Years ago I bought a collection of cell trays of different sizes and the one that give this size of cell is the 84 cell tray as seen here:

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Seed%20sowing-indoors/Seed%20Sowing%20-%20Indoors.htm

I modified these trays by cutting them down to fit into a standard 14" x 8" tray this turned out to give me forty cells per tray hence why I sowed 40 seeds of each variety.

You will notice that on that web page there is a forty cell tray on the market now but I do not like that one so much as the cells are only 1" deep.

Although this is OK for germination they are not so good if you want a good root system before prickling out as. I do with onions and leeks.

That is the faster growing seedlings become root bound before the slower growing ones do, so I find the 2" deep ones cater got this situation better.

So there you are you now know as much as I do about sowing leeks and onions.....Tg

ps.

To save scribbling all this out highlight it, copy and paste it on to 'notepad' title it and print it off, or you could email it to yourself then print the email.

[woodypecks]

Thankyou Tee Gee , valuable advice