Allotments 4 All

We use leeks in a lot of food and I really want to get good at growing my own.

Last year they were terrible and only ended up about the size of pencils.

This year i hope it will be different.

So what i was thinking is this, can i start them off just now on the windowsill in cells?  Then when they get pencil size transplant them to the outdoor plot ?

Ok yes i shall need to harden them off first, but would they become pot bound ?

Any tips would be great. 

Thanks

This was a brilliant thread, lots of peeps' top leek tips! :)
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,22135.20
And MikeB the b'roll boffin ::)
Even a brilliant leek video from Pete the like of which may never be seen again ;)

Cheers m8, i'll go take a look  ;)

excellent threads.  learned a lot there, and explains a lot about last year.

::) :P

Those videos were really good, but still wondering if its ok to sow the seeds in modules ?

Very helpful thread but any advice on starting them off?  CK said to sow them in a big pot of compost mixed with pearlite - is it time to do it yet? 

We all have our own ways for planting our seeds, but i think using modules take up a lot of space. My preference is to get the blue mushroom boxes from the local veg shop and half fill them with compost and scatter my seed cover with compost then a sheet of glass on the top till the tops appear.
If you want a blanched leeks you will find the local carpet shop will be only to glad to part with the tubes from the carpet rolls so you can cut them to the size you want

Quote from: davy1 on February 12, 2007, 20:57:18
We all have our own ways for planting our seeds, but i think using modules take up a lot of space. My preference is to get the blue mushroom boxes from the local veg shop and half fill them with compost and scatter my seed cover with compost then a sheet of glass on the top till the tops appear.
If you want a blanched leeks you will find the local carpet shop will be only to glad to part with the tubes from the carpet rolls so you can cut them to the size you want

You know, i dont know why i didnt think of just doing that. I have saved a lot of plastic tubs over the past few months.  Leeks would be perfect in them on the windowsill.

May sow some tomorrow, or wait till the weekend  ;)

Sowed ours yesterday, three varieties....
always found they grew themselves on our heavy clay, once you got them to pencil sized and into the soil!
;D

Quote from: Marymary on February 12, 2007, 20:43:45
Very helpful thread but any advice on starting them off?  CK said to sow them in a big pot of compost mixed with pearlite - is it time to do it yet? 

I only grow leeks (late varieties) for winter, so I'd start sowing in May and plant out in June/July after the early tatties are up - if you want earlier ones, try and see!

If you wait until April to sow, you can plant them out where you've lifted your potatoes.

I have sown my first lot....carestan or something like that....they are just poking through.  I will sow another lot at the end of the month, then monthly for as long as I have the time and seeds!  They have to last me instead of hunions so I sow lots of varieties to go as far through the year as I can.  I sow in seed trays, just a light scattering, cover lightly, then water once.  They are in the conservatory at the moment until the heating is back in the greenhouse.  I leave them to it, and once they are about knitting needle thick, they get planted out...or potted on depending on time and energy!