First ever leeks

[bupster]

Wrapping rolls! What a good idea. I never think of these things.

Pulled my first leek on Saturday. Proud moment followed by gritty moments as hadn't washed it properly.  :)

[bupster]

[Derekthefox]

Please indulge me in an off-topic moment ... Sarah, I am growing salsify this season for the first time, do I need rolls to get a good crop?

I am busy at work cutting up old pieces of 1 1/2 inch plastic drain pipe for my leeks ...

[supersprout]

So long as you have ground that's friable reasonably deep, and not freshly manured, as for carrots, your salsify should grow nicely D if you sow direct. I am going to make a seed tape to be parsleymonious! BUT I am also going to try starting in toilet rolls to see if this gives 'em a good start, so let's experiment with a double trial - rolls, and au naturel - and see how they do ;) Which variety/ies you going to plant?

[supersprout]

Whoops, should we start a salsify thread D, this one is about leeks  :-[ :P

[Derekthefox]

Sandwich Island, Sarah. You have answered my question, thank you. Wardy, please don't report me for going off topic  ...  :)

[lorna]

Wardy. Methinks I will try some leeks. Can get an abundance of strong tubes from the insides of sons vinyl rolls..I think  they are about 2ft long!!

[grawrc]

Sorry for being obtuse, but are the tubes/ rolls for blanching purposes? ::)

[Derekthefox]

Yes grawrc, in that they produce a longer white stem, I get the impression that earthing up, or fitting collars actually extends the length of the leek ...

[supersprout]

Well, there could be two uses for the rolls ... first, as little plant pots for seedlings, and second, as a blanching aid when the leeks are a bit bigger (i.e. fitted after and before earthing up) :P. Experiment, experiment  ::)

[Paulines7]

Winter is reading season  8) and this year I'm going to follow the suggestion to plant three seeds in a kitchen roll roll full of compost and see if I get wunda leeks ... ;D

What compost would you use for growing leeks, please?  I want to try growing some next year and have been saving the cardboard centres from kitchen rolls, tin foil and loo rolls.

[supersprout]

Hey Pauline, I just use an all purpose compost as cheap as possible from a seed merchant or roughie toughie garden centre. It's surprising how much those little tubes lap up! I put them in a box or shallow crate and fill them up with the cut-off funnel I use for jam pot filling  :P. Once you've planted them, they will sink down when you water them.
Depending on what you've planted in them, you can plant shallow or deep. I plan to whittle a piece of fat dowel as a dibber to make planting out easier this year.
There are some peeps who make their own seed compost here, check out with the A4a 'search' for recipes  ;D