Allotments 4 All

Sure that title has been used by someone once before, however, I have 3 trays of different leeks all up and have never really known what to do now?  Pot them on individually or leave them in their trays until planting out time?  Just wondered what everyone else does??

I tend to leave them in the trays until planting out.  Make sure though that they are somewhere cool and light otherwise they get a bit too long and thin,  :-\

Hope they're nicely spaced out - the roots can make a lovely mat - quite tricky to disentangle.

They always say 'grow on to pencil thickness'. Ours, last year, went out at 3mm x 12cm & were fine.

Some are  ;D some aren't  :-\.  Oh well, I shall send them out to the greenhouse to slow down and bulk up a bit before I think of planting them.

I have spring onions also, and took your advice Tim and sowed 4 or 5 to a module.  They will go out in a couple of weeks as they have already made a tremendous amount of growth!

Re leek plants.  I've just been watched "the allotment" dvd and an allotment bloke was planting out his leeks (he'd grown them from seed)  He has a very stony soil on a cold, windy exposed site somewhere down South, Gloucs or Bath.  Anyway he says he lets his leeks grow for a month longer than most folks before planting them in the ground.  he reckons the extra growth makes for better leeks.  Also he planted them very deep, like half way up the stems

Deep, yes - 10" with us. But Ina trenches & earths up.

We don't do exhibition stuff, but they come along OK.

Or did, before the dreaded rot!!

EJ last year I ran out of space in the greenhouse and just plonked the whole lot from the tray into a bed in the garden until they were a bit bigger, they seemed none the worse for the experience! Hardy things leeks methinks!

Oh and BTW Tim, they look magnificent! :D
How do I get mine to grow that big? How far apart do you space them when you plant them out?  DP

Last year I split my leeks up and put them about 5 to a 3inch pot until planting out time. Then you can still pot them up occassionally to give them more growth room. (Trouble is, last year I forgot to do that and they were still tiny when they went out. Ah well, you live, you learn!)

The usual 6", Doris. No special feed.

Tim

What variety are they?

When did you first pick them?

;D ;D

Marshalls' 'Stanley'.

Sown 23/3 - planted 15/5 - lifting 22/8.

But, correctly, they should come in in Oct-Dec.