Allotments 4 All

help! I planted my leeks (bought from a garden centre)and was very pleased with their progress - they're now about 2cm thick so I pull some up the other day to have with lunch - but they're really short! only about 1 - 2 inches really  ::) - did I not plant them deep enough? and is there anything I can do now to make the rest of them edible? I thought about earthing up but the outer leaves that overlap are almost down to the ground - any tips? ::)

Short? The whole thing or the white bit??

And without knowing how deep you planted them, we're at a disadvantage!

Hi

You normally don't start harvesting leeks until November (to April), so it could be that you are just a bit early.
another point is the variety you have brought maybe short stem leeks.
If you can no longer earth up, put some toilet roll collars over your leeks, this increases the blanched region

Regards

MikeB

it's the white bit that's short - and I don't know how deep I planted them! I just stuck the end of the hoe in the ground as far as it would go and dropped them in - there wasn't too much sticking out of the top - but I'll leave them in and see how they go - thanks :)

1. We put ours in 10" deep. See my blog.

2. You can use leeks from August - as we're doing - until the Spring. Depending upon variety.

3. The green bit is just as tasty!

Hi Tim

Can I ask what variety?  I would really love some early leeks.  (Potato & leek soup all year?)

How do you access peep's blogs?

Regards

MikeB

Blogs? - my 'semi blog' is under my post.

Leeks? - try this?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/leeks.jpg

Excellent Tim

Thank you very much,  I guess my problem is I've been restricting myself to dobbies and it would seem that their range isn't that extensive.


Thanks again

Regards

MikeB

I planted bought seedlings 6 weeks ago but only to the depth of the soil on the seedling.  Didn't know they had to be sown deeper.

A month prior to that I tried leek seeds (winter pick) in jiffy pots.  Here the seedlings grew veeery thin.  When I put them in my prepared garden I again just planted them to cover the jiffy pot.  The instructions didn't say otherwise.

The packet (Yates) says they mature from 12 - 20 weeks.  I know being from Perth (West. Australia) our seasons are different but they have haven't grown much.  Not even 5 mm in diameter.

So my question is will they still be OK but just take longer to mature?

Did I sow them in the wrong season?  I figured if the seedlings are available then it must be OK to sow seeds.

Cheers
Anna

In the UK we sow leeks about March/April time so I would have thought now would be a good time to sow in your part of the world.

Hi Annadl

The variety that I grow is Musselburgh, I mention this because as you can see from the earlier posts there are leeks that mature much sooner.  The sequence I follow is to sow the seeds in a prepared seedbed in February, cloche the area until about march.  I then transplant them in June (usually to the 1st early potato bed, this is after I have harvested the potatoes), the leeks at this time are as thick as a pencil, they have taken 4 months to get to this size, so they are not what I would consider to be a fast growing crop.  I would expect them to be ready from November.   But see Tim's post I could be totally wrong about when and where.  This is what applies to the type I brought.  Hope it helps.

Regards

MikeB

The 'mini leeks' that we're pulling at the moment were sown mid-April. Put out 6" deep in a raised bed mid-May, when they were only about 3" high & as thin as a toothpick. NOT our usual practice!!

So Tim

Did you completely bury them, or do you put them in the hole but don't fill in with sand?

Now I read in Yates that you drop them into the hole with the roots resting on the bottom.  When watered the soil is washed into the roots to cover the roots.  (I found the book after I started my vege patch).  Does anyone do it this way?

Anna

This is what I've been told to do by the two old boys on my allotment site - indeed, one of them said to fill the holes with water then leave them. They both said roots should be trimmed so that the leeks can sit right at the bottom of the hole.

Text books will say trim the roots but no-one ever does :)  You can make a hole for the leek with the end of a walking stick or rake and I press on hard to make a really deep hole then just drop the leek plant into that and then I water sufficient to fill the hole.  The leek bobs up and down but settles down into the hole as the water subsides.  I've not done anything more with mine but my lotty neighbour tells me I have to earth them up with fine soil as they grow to make sure I have good white bits.  I will if I get round to it  :)

Yes, I didn't trim the roots  ;). Will also earth up should I get round to it but quite like the toilet roll suggestion as I planted quite close together (partly to get baby plants and partly because I'm still at the stage of not really believing that they'll grow)

Thanks Wardy

I didn't do that.  Do you think my leeks may still be OK?

Anna ::)

I prefer NOT to wash down too much soil, or you defeat the object of having a nice big hole for the thing to grow in.

But each to their own!!

oh Annadl, nor did i  :-\.
i think i'll re-plant half according to the advice on this thread and leave the other half in case it's too late now.
sooo glad you asked this question  ;D
tara xx

That's a good idea Tara. :D   I'll do that too.

We'll have to be careful when we pull them up - wouldn't know how much soil to shake off ???

Anna

Right or wrong, if the roots have made a tangly mass in the plugs or tray, yes- I trim - or they won't drop into the hole. And, unless the soil is wet, you have to be quick before the soil falls back in.

I'll have a go at earthing them up today - we shall see, I tried the idea of washing the soil in but in practice, once I'd made the hole with the end of my hoe, it was a race to get the leek in before the soil all fell in before it  >:(. My sister was planting her ones at the same time and just did them with a trowel - they look a lot better than mine!

Hey Tim

Is that your photo album of your allotment/garden?  Or is it a reference guide?

I can't believe it, it looks fantastic.  My internet connection has been so slow the last 2 days I can't wait to go back and have a better look :o

Cheers, Anna

PS:  I think I'll replant my leeks tomorrow.

The garden, Anna - gave up the 2 allotments 20 years ago. Too much work!!

Tim, just visited your blog.  Stunning array of photos - is there any vegetable that you can't grow? :)

Gosh Tim, how much of a garden do you have now?

You must have been a farmer with those 2 allotments.

Anna

Mostly - no! Except 'field veg' like swedes & turnips.

Other things - like carrots - can be erratic but, in the end, we get them!

But CONTINUITY is, & will always be, the big unsolvable problem. For us poor folk. Whatever you do, even allowing for the changing seasons, it NEVER works to plan. I know I've asked before, but how do Quatre Saisons & River Cafe etc ALWAYS have their own herbs etc - all through the year?? And the latter do not have gardeners.

PS Sorry - forgot to say that every year has its failures!!

Quite honestly, I don't think there's anything to get worked up about when it comes to planting leeks. Use a dibber and water them in or just plant them in the usual way, they still grow regardless. After all, they were the mainstay of peasant economies through the middle ages and beyond, presumably armed only with very clumsy digging implements. Leeks also seem to be pretty drought resistant and impervious to frosts. Incredible plants really .....

I trim the leaves back then dip the roots in the watering can before sticking them in the hole - helps the roots get right to the bottom of the whole, rather then spreading up the sides of the hole. Then fill the hole with water.

I haven't moved my yet, it was pouring on that day. :(

There seems to be a number of 'shoots' close together coming out of the earth - Do they need to be separated before I transplant them?

I like your suggestion Keef but now I don't know if I have left it too late to transplant properly.

Any suggestions?
Anna