Why is it that you shouldn't fill the hole you plant the leeks into with soil? Just water them in.Do all of you trim the roots and tops? I have read that I should plant them 5-6 inches deep when they are 8 inches tall.That means I will only have about an inch showing! is that right?
Also i am growing mine in modules 1 plant per module if i'm to trim the roots do I remove the compost they have been sown in? so they are planted bare root ??? ???
I don't know why you don't fill the hole but i do trim the roots & top
It doesn't matter whether you fill in the holes or not, it just takes less time and effort if you don't bother. Same with trimming roots (or not). Either way, they should grow on OK. In my humble experience, the only thing which really helps to achieve a better leek is to earth them up, so you get more white shaft and less green leaf at the top.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that shaking the compost off before platning them out isn't necessary either - although presumably you're sowing them singly, so most will end up bare-rooted anyway as you separate them up.
I agree with MollyBloom, I give no special treatment, I just bung e'm in and away they go. ;D Well at least my first attempt did last year and I'm still picking e'm ;D
Thanks very much I shall now get them planted with confidence thanks!!
I just trim the roots a bit 'cos I found that it made it easier to bung 'em down the hole that way.
I shake off any soil,shorten roots so that they do not hang in the hole,shorten tops because they have less roots.I make holes with dibber 10 inches deep,drop leeks in,sometimes they are not above ground at all but they soon grow up and out.I give a drink of water so as to settle the roots to the bottom of the ho;e.In this way I get about 8- 9 inches of blanched leek without having to earth up.Not filling the hpole in leaves more room for the leek to grow easily.
Quote from: slippy fly on May 21, 2006, 19:38:49
Why is it that you shouldn't fill the hole you plant the leeks into with soil? Just water them in.Do all of you trim the roots and tops? I have read that I should plant them 5-6 inches deep when they are 8 inches tall.That means I will only have about an inch showing! is that right?
Also i am growing mine in modules 1 plant per module if i'm to trim the roots do I remove the compost they have been sown in? so they are planted bare root ??? ???
I just bang a hole with the dibber, drop the leek in and fill the hole with water. I don't trim anything. Filling the hole with soil is quite unnecessary and would take too long. I presume that ouring the water in washes soil down onto the roots, and even if it doesn't, the atmosphere down there must be pretty humid afterwards.
I always plant deep with not much above the surface to maximise the white on the leeks. I experimented last year with trimming and not trimming the roots. It made no difference. The idea of not filling the hole with anything other than water is so that the leeks can expand quite easily without having to push againgst the earth when they are little. But if your soil is a little bit sandy like ours it will gradually fill in with rain fall.
I'm so impressed with your organisation, my little babies are in their seed bed and are still looking like blades of grass!!
I am growing leeks for the first time. What distance should I leave please between each seedling when planting out? :-\
I do mine about 6"-8" but am not an expert
same as flossie, offset (staggered layout) in a deep bed
worth checking your seed packet to see if they are fat or thin type, and adjusting accordingly?
its amazing how much conversation you can have about leeks!!!!!!!!
I dont trim roots, might snip tops depending on how I feel, dib hole and to avoid roots hanging over the edge, twizzle the plants between finger and thumb as I put them into the hole. That the way the rootsare pulled in!
Havent bothered to earth up in the past, but last year was badly affected by the allium fly so am trying collars above ground, high ones that is! made from short lengths of irrigation pipe to try and protect them. Could use loo rolls I suppose but they would disintegrate to quickly me thinks. :D