I have not yet managed to transplant my leeks - so I am asking the question 'am I too late now? ' it will take me the best part of a day to do the job justice, would I be wasting my time ?
Would be very grateful for any thoughts
Many thanks
Susiebelle
Personally I would still plant them out. Sounds as if you have a load to plant out. You have not said how big your leeks are, I assume they are about 20 cm long. So what i would do if I felt tired would be as follows
1) take half and plant as normal, dib a hole and drop a leek in. The depth of the hole should be just less than the length of the leek but no more than 6 inches. Dib holes about 6 cms apart. Once they are in water the holes and leave well alone unless the sun gets too hot and no rain.
2) with the remaining half i would make a slit trench with a spade about 15 cm deep and form a "V" shape along a line parallel to the other leeks. Then drop the leeks in the slit so that they are about 2 or 3 cms apart. Again water them in and water again if they dry out,
If you use the "slit" trench leeks first the others should grow well.
Good luck
Bill
i would plant them out as i still aint done mine yet :drunken_smilie: :drunken_smilie:
i would plant them out as i still aint done mine yet................Can't !!!.....I have eaten most of them :wave: :coffee2:
My leeks have been in a while which is pretty unusual for me usually it is about now. I like to wait until they have been frosted before I take any. Because I get plenty of mulching material my planting method is unusual. See:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/norwichhouse-oakridge/28252293864/in/album-72157655792756058/
Thank you for taking time to respond - thinks Bill's suggestion is ace - thank you, I feel it's now manageable
I know what I shall be doing tomorrow !!
If they are planted out now will they miss the dreaded Leek moth? I haven't grown leeks for years because of this little blighter.
Humbug I don't know the answer to whether now is the right time to miss the leek moth but I am hoping to have avoided it by covering my leeks with enviromesh for the first time ever. I will report back if it works (I imagine the little blighters waiting patiently till I uncover to weed!)
I have never experienced leek moth but up to 2 years ago I had never experienced blight in 45 years of gardening. Some pests seem to be becoming more virulent including two legged ones.
I used to grow them under enviromesh but encountered a couple of problems
Firstly some varieties especially the early ones tended to run to seed very quickly, I put this down to the micro climate under the mesh.
Also no matter how well I weighted down the sides of the mesh,whether it was with pegs, soil ,bricks or anything the little blighters still got in, probably when I was weeding.
I've noticed that too ... under mesh the leeks don't perform as well although it does keep the moths out. I find they get rust easily in the more stagnant air you get in a mesh tunnel - and quite a few bolt to flower - as you say the earlier varieties.
But net them we must. Leek moth can completely destroy a crop ... and there's something with big teeth that comes on my allotment which bites them down to the ground if left to stand in the open through winter - deer or rabbits - not sure which. They eat my garlic too!
I am taking a chance again, first time in five years after being pee`d off with leek moth. I put a couple of dozen in last week, uncovered. I have tried all sorts in the past and if moth didn`t get them then rust did but I always planted in spring. Mesh held them back and they got rust dramatically. So nothing ventured and one last try
Have never in over 60 years had leek moth but what gets me is that the moment I plant leeks the badger thinks it is a latrine and even neat jeyes in the area will not deter him. We all have problems but then that is gardening.