Onions & leeks.

[Bun]

If I sowed these  individually, ie not scattered in a seed tray, would I have to do anything to them after they had straightened out, or could I just leave then in there till I wanted to plant them?

[Bun]

[Mrs Ava]

have done my leeks in modules, the same with spring onions but several per module, and plan to leave them in there until I am ready to plant, then drop the whole module into the ground, nice and deep!  Bit more time consuming than dibbing a hole and dropping in a leek, but things have to be done that suit.

[janebb]

I too sowed onion seed (Bedfordshire Champion) in January and pricked out into individual pots.  All the books say they should be planted out in mid April but they still look so pathetic.  The leaves of the biggest are no more than a couple of millimetres in diameter. Are they suppposed to be bigger than this by now?  Should I plant them out yet or wait until they are a bit bigger. 

Think next year I will stick with sets!

[Merry Tiller]

Onion seed is usually sown in January by the exhibition growers, they need lots & lots of light for this and a very long growing season to reach large sizes.

For more normal sized onions it's better to wait until March, my "Owa" onions were multiple sown in modules last month & they're already at the size you describe

[undercarriage plan]

Why as it better to plant leeks in seed trays and then transplant them? ??? I've put mine straight into ground and they're germinating nicely, will something go wrong!! Worried for the little dears :'( reassurance please... Lottie

[johcharly]

Why as it better to plant leeks in seed trays and then transplant them? ??? I've put mine straight into ground and they're germinating nicely, will something go wrong!! Worried for the little dears :'( reassurance please... Lottie

don't worry I've always sown mine in a seed bed except for this year and that is only because I am short of space in the bed.

[moonbells]

I've had no luck at all with leeks inside this year - have about three germinated.

However in the lottie where a previous year's plant flowered, and the flowerhead fell over, I have dozens! So I shall be using nature's bounty...  now if only they weren't growing in the middle of a redcurrant!!!

moonbells

[Bun]

So what I'm going to do from now on is to sow onions & leeks inividually, in the green house, untill they're pencil thick & then plant them up.
Sound OK?

[Clayhithe]

Why as it better to plant leeks in seed trays and then transplant them?

In the seed tray the leeks are covered in about 5mm compost:   same if you sow them in the ground.

When you transplant you can dib a hole as deep as you like,  drop them in and water them.   The soil will blanch them as deep as the hole:  no earthing up :D

Mine were sown under a bell cloche (about 12in across) in the ground (so a bit like a seed tray:  very crowded and shallow).
The cloche is off now and they are growing strongly.
In June I'll transplant them,  dibbing a hole at least 9in deep (usually with a crowbar!).

So no probs in the ground Lottie ;)

[aquilegia]

I've sown mine in modules and seed trays as my ground wasn't ready yet and I don't trust it to cope with direct sowings! I've sown them in small clumps and will plant then out this weekend into the ground. Probably. (I know they are supposed to go out when a pencil thickness, but unless I keep potting them up, they'll never get to that size and I can't be bothered to keep doing that!)

[redimp]

OK so far so good.  My leeks are singly in modules and my spring onions are sown three to a module.  I thought the leeks woul grow to pencil thickness in their modules and then I would transplant to 15cm holes.  Will they grow to this size in their modules or will I need to pot them on -m  :-\

[kitty]

clanger-is it better to sow spring onions in modules?
i was planning on putting them straight in the ground.....
*kittys worried now*
*bloomin gardenin...mutter mutter*

[redimp]

I have been told that small seeds do not take too well up on my lottie.  Do not know why this is.  Other reason why every small seed I have planted so far is in cells is because I got my lottie a bit late and it was not dug over until late January so I am still having trouble getting a fine tilth so have not developed a stale seed bed yet.

Having said that my four year old had a bed prepared for her and she has sowed some lettuce seeds which are starting to break through - they are under fleece so if birds are the problem they will have not been able to get them.  We are still waiting for her other seeds but the dandelions appear to be doing very well.

[Lady of the Land]

Providing you have the room on the allotment I think it is better to grow them here as once sown you can forget about them until they are approx pencil thickness -except to water if it becomes very dry. In modules you will need to water regularly and will need to have space to accommodate them, inside initially but could leave them outside presumably once germinated.

[redimp]

Ah but will they grow to pencil thickness in modules or will they need potting up.

[derbex]

I trod on mine and catapulted them upside down -one good reason not to use a seed tray/modules >:( Resown a day or 2 ago in the hope that they'll catch up. I still haven't got leeks sussed, they're normally ready about now -instead of Nov.

Jeremy

[NattyEm]

we have no space inside, and no seed bed.  so leeks and spring onions are all chucked in on lottie, in the hope that once the leeks grow they'll then just move to some place else on lottie.

[tim]

Spring onions - sow 10 to a module & pull a bunch at a time. See below.

Leeks - they can be chive thickness - whatever the 'ideal' - & do well. Don't worry!