It seems to be a champion year for leeks first frost are a good few weeks away too!
Gigante d'Inverno
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/IMG_0224.jpg)
Yates Empire
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/IMG_0226.jpg)
If you look carefully you will see some bindweed eek :-[ ;D
Just wish we had put more in - but with the threat of 'the rot', we only had one new bed.
I'm sure I read it on A4a (so it must be true ::)) that leeks are less susceptible to the rot than other Alliums?
Mine are doing well despite not being planted out properly till last month. Only one bed since it's the usual story, I'm the only one in the family who cooks with them.
lovely pics, mine are doing great, although the late sown ones are still thin but I keep them in the ground until next spring and harvest then but I am going to pull a few of the early variety for next sunday lunch - I grew prizetaker and musselburgh this year
I planted our leeks about a month ago now and they seem to be growing well not as big as supersprouts but i'm sure they will get there. They are for harvest next year aren't they?
some of mine were damaged by vandals when rhey ripped up the sweetcorn and threw the stals on top (luckily the corn was harvested the week before) Might sound daft but I planted some more leek seeds last weekend for damage limitation!
Helen
Woo! Impressive leeks. Ours are way smaller, but I did interplant them with parsnips (don't ask) so not sure if thats had an impact?
Truff
Our's are doing great-already eaten a few of the bigger one's--couldn't wait!
Yes, mine are huge already
impressive mulching too SS as usual. ;D
I am chuffed with mine - a donated batch so no idea of name, Mussleburgh and autumn giant. All doing well, but they were off to a slow start as once they were watered in they were left to their own devices. I never have a problem with rot on my leeks Tim, more problems with rust! I have some that are ready, if I wanted them, but I shall leave them to it.
Pppssttt...SS, I mulched one patch of my leeks today with shredded paper! Wetted it to stop it blowing away then piled it around. LVOELY!
is that straw ss. it looks great
Mine are crap as you know SS
:'( why??
Mine are doing well although rust will be a problem in spring... Mostly Musselburgh. The Babbington Leeks are also doing well... another year and I should be able to pull some to thin the clumps!
;D
is the mulch instead of or as well as earthing them up?
our leeks last year were a disaster as we did not plant them deep enough, or earth them up, so the white bit was about 3 inches and they were so tough, totally inedible!
Looking better this year... so far!
Like redclanger mine are rubbish
I find that if they're not white they're still usable; just discard the outer layer. I never earth up; I just mulch, dib a hole, and shove them in.
me too, anything else is like hard work ;D
so far so good !
the ones i dibbed in are going great. I chucked the rest on the floor as i couldnt be bothered dibbing anymore... found they were still alive at the weekend so planted them in rather than dibbed so we shall see how they go!
Mine are doing really well, but so are the weeds around them >:( i seem to be weeding around my leeks every time i go up the allotment.
i couldnt see my leeks last weekend keef...hadnt bothered to weed them since i put them in... but they are almost weed free now! Only prob is the row in front is now garlic and the row behind is onions... am scared of treading on them as i easily forget whats where when im weeding LOL.
mine are suffering from rust....any tips?
heck, rust already! Mind don't normally succumb until Spring. I don't think there is anything medicinal you can do to help. It will only be on the outer layers, so the leeks are still edible, but it can slow growth. When I see it I know I have to start digging them up and using them so I don't want to see it yet.
Those leeks look great. I planted a few quite awhile ago and some of them are very big. However they all have rust but it hasn't affected the taste as we ate one a couple of weeks ago and the taste was so superior to the supermarket leek. I wish I'd put in more now.
Where do you get all the straw for mulching?
mine just sorta rotted away...not sure why...could be white rot as it got my onions and garlic this year...although last year my leeks did fine...
I believe leeks aren't as affected by white rot as other hunions. They won't enjoy sitting in really wet cold ground, but then we haven't had that yet have we.
Old Jack on our site gets bales of straw for us as we want them - he gets them from a local stables as a reasonable rate, a couple of quid for a big rectangular loaf!
I planted mine at the end of July due to planting them too early in April.
They are growing steady but seem to be taking ages !
???
Yeah, good year here too
What's growing next to your beetroot SS?
Oh, and how deep is the mulch? (is it really that weed-free or just for the photo :P?)
Leeks on the menu in our house tonight........yum!
Nice to get back from hols and find out how everyone's leeks are doing :D - sorry to hear of rust already :-\
Thank you for the kind (and curious) comments about straw mulch, let me know if I've forgotten any answers :P
Straw mulch - £1.50 per loaf from the farm shop
It's about 8" deep, put on in layers as they grew. One of the beds has leafmould under the straw.
Alll grown from seed in a 7-inch pot, half were transplanted in furrows for speed, half dibbed in. Can't see the difference now ::)
I don't usually earth up, so the mulching is a bonus - don't know if it will make a difference
Photo is unretouched ( :o@diana) the leeks are weed free with the mulch except for the odd bit of bindweed which gets nipped off now and then
Next to beetroot - flowering shungiku greens (they tasted horrible so I let them flower), cucumbers, parsnip and celeriac
:)
Mine have gone rusty >:( I KNEW I should have slathered 'em in WD40 last week!
Quote from: supersprout on September 25, 2006, 15:13:15
Nice to get back from hols and find out how everyone's leeks are doing :D - sorry to hear of rust already :-\
Thank you for the kind (and curious) comments about straw mulch, let me know if I've forgotten any answers :P
Straw mulch - £1.50 per loaf from the farm shop
It's about 8" deep, put on in layers as they grew. One of the beds has leafmould under the straw.
Alll grown from seed in a 7-inch pot, half were transplanted in furrows for speed, half dibbed in. Can't see the difference now ::)
I don't usually earth up, so the mulching is a bonus - don't know if it will make a difference
Photo is unretouched ( :o@diana) the leeks are weed free with the mulch except for the odd bit of bindweed which gets nipped off now and then
Next to beetroot - flowering shungiku greens (they tasted horrible so I let them flower), cucumbers, parsnip and celeriac
:)
What do you do with all the straw and the end of the year - dig it in ? I'd be frightend of the Chav's kids tossing a f*g end on my allotment and burning the whole lot..
If you leave it it rots and gets taken down by the worms. Half-rotten straw is no fire hazard, though I suppose newly-laid stuff in a drought might make a nice bonfire for your local pyromaniacs.