In crop rotation, leeks follow lettuce, cabbage or peas, but it is not a good idea to plant them immediately after lifting early potatoes. This is because the soil will be too loose and disturbed and leeks do best on a firm soil. When to grow : Wait till early to mid-spring before sowing leek seed, depending on the weather. They can either be sown in a seed bed for transplanting the following summer, or sown in their permanent positions.
If you sow in a seed bed you have the added bother of transplanting, but this must be balanced out by the fact that if they are sown in their permanent position, they will take up a lot of space for a long time before producing results.
Sow the leek seed thinly about 2. If the seeds are properly stored they will be viable for about four years, so you can keep seeds for future use. After covering the seeds, firm the soil down and water if dry. Drills should be about 15 cm 6 in apart in the permanent bed. Germination should take about days and thinning should begin as soon as possible, when the pants are not more than thin green shoots, about six weeks from sowing.
Thin the seedling to about 5cm 2in the first time as some of the plants may die, and then thin again when everything seems to be going well, so that the plants are about 10 cm 4 in apart. Sowing Dates There are 3 sowing dates for leeks which will give you fresh leeks from July right through till April. Use a seed compost which has a finer texture and lower nutrients than your standard multipurpose compost. We use a seed module tray with each section being approx 2 inches deep.
Here's what you do:. Transplanting : By mid summer when the plants are about as thick as a pencil and 20 cm 8 in high, they will be ready for transplanting to their permanent position. If you are able to plant during showery weather the young plants will settle more quickly, otherwise water the bed the day before if the soil is dry.
To plant leeks in holes, use a thick dibber or trowel and make the holes 15 cm 6 in deep and cm in apart, depending on what size of leek you want.
Make sure the holes are vertical and move the dibber about from side to side so that they are slightly larger at the top. The holes should be about 5 cm 2 in in diameter. Cut back the roots until they are 2. Lower the young leeks gently into the holes and fill the holes with water.
The water will wash enough soil over the base of the plant to allow it to become established. As you hoe the ground from time to time the holes will gradually fill up with soil. Another way of growing leeks is to plant them 25 cm 10 in apart in a trench. This method is particularly good if you have deep, fertile soil. The trench should be dug to a depth of about 30 cm 1 ft and if there is going to be more than one trench they should be 75 cm 2 ft 6in apart.
If you try to dig the trenches too close together, the walls are likely to collapse. Put in the bottom of the trenches about 7. Carefully plant the leeks so that they are absolutely upright in the bottom of the trenches, then water in as described above.
Water the young plants well, especially in fry conditions, until they are well established. Soon after planting apply a liquid manure. Hoe between the rows regularly to keep down the weeds and also this will aerate the soil.
Frequent hoeing will also create a dust which helps conserve moisture. Leaves which grow too long can be trimmed back slightly so that they do not rest on the ground. Cut the long dark leaves back by about 5 cm 2 in in early summer and again in mid summer, and a third time if it is necessary, in early autumn. Blanching Leeks Blanching leeks increases the proportion of plant which is edible and improves the flavour which would otherwise be strong and harsh.
Start blanching in mid August, this is a gradual process and should be done in several stages rather than all at once. As the plants increase in height you an earth them up which will blanch the stems. Scoop soil up around the plant which excludes the light from the bottom part of the stem and tuns them white. Don't earth them up so high or soil will become lodged in the leaves of the leek. You can earth them up twice during the growing season.
There are several methods of blanching depending on which way the leeks are growing. If you have your leeks growing in a trench, blanching consists of gradually filling in the trench with soil to the bottom of the lowest leaves each time until the plants have finished growing, which will probably be around mid to late autumn, this also depends on the weather. Unlike their cousin, the onion, leeks don't die back and signal they are ready to harvest.
Instead, they are ready once the base has at least a three-inch white section and feels firm and solid. Remove from the soil by twisting and pulling or digging. You can start leeks from either seeds or transplants. In colder climates, seeds can be started indoors, anywhere from eight to 12 weeks before your last spring frost. Move outdoors when temperatures begin to stay above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and harden them off slowly for about seven days before transplanting them to the garden.
In warmer climates, where spring and fall are your prime growing seasons, you can start your seed indoors approximately three to four weeks before your last spring frost and transplant outdoors for an early summer harvest. Alternatively, you can direct seed in late summer and harvest in winter through early spring. When planting leeks, space your seeds at least 6 inches apart. To encourage a succulent white stem the edible part of the plant most frequently used in cooking , leeks must be blanched.
This is another way of saying they should be hidden from the sun so that part of the plant doesn't make chlorophyll and turn green. To do so, plant seeds about inches deep in the soil and continue to mound the soil up around the leek as it continues to grow out of the ground, starting around when the stems are an inch thick.
Slugs can be a big issue for leeks they munch on the leaves , as well as other pests that bother onions, such as onion maggots, leafminers , and thrips. You can use an organic solvent, like neem oil, to get rid of most pests.
However, if a true infestation occurs, your best bet is to rip up the affected crop before the pests have to chance to spread to nearby plants. Keep an eye out for several common diseases like blight and leek rust, which forms orange pustules on the leaves. Most of these diseases occur in damp weather—to remedy, remove the affected leaves and improve air circulation.
New growth should come in healthy. Damp weather or wet soil can also lead to leaf rot, which shows up as white spots on the tips before they eventually wither and die.
There is no cure, but providing good air circulation, allowing the soil to dry between waterings, and removing any plants that appear to be infected will decrease the likelihood of occurrence. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Another method is to hill the plants by planting them at normal soil level, then mounding compost or soil around the plants several times during the growing season.
Most leek varieties fully develop when the stem width is bigger than one inch. Some smaller varieties mature at one-half to three-fourths of an inch diameter. A quality leek should have a firm, white shaft more than three inches long. Swelling at the base, called "bulbing," is undesirable. Unlike their onion and shallot cousins, leek tops do not die back as the crop matures.
The top growth, called the flag, should be dark blue-green. Harvest leeks by either gently twisting and pulling them from the earth, or digging and lifting them. Trim the leaves to a more manageable length at harvest, if desired. Thoroughly clean leeks before cooking. There is often a small amount of soil held tightly between the leaves, so slice the whole leek lengthwise, separate the layers and rinse thoroughly to remove any soil.
Leeks are fairly frost tolerant, so you can delay harvest until after the first few frosts. Mound mulch around your leeks to protect them, and you can enjoy digging fresh vegetables out of your garden into late fall. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Home Yard and garden Find plants Vegetables Growing leeks.
A quick guide to leeks Most leeks require a long growing season of about to days. Start seeds indoors and transplant in early spring. Hill the plants to produce a longer white shaft, or plant in a furrow and fill it in. Leeks have shallow root systems and need plentiful watering. Leeks are tolerant of cold, so you can delay harvest until after the first frosts. Soil pH and fertility.
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