iar fach goch Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Have been given some leek seedlings by a friendly freecycler and have planted according to instructions......now what do I do? Do they need any special care or do I just leave them to it? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 I shoved some that I was given in a spare bit of a raised bed. I've no idea what to do next either . I'll be interested in the replies . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Just leave them to it unless you live in an area affected by allium leaf miner then you need to cover them with enviromesh from now until November I think its still confined to the midlands. we've got it bad in this area. we were one of the first places to get them http://www.sandwellallotments.ik.com/p_Leaf_miner.ikml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 Thanks for the advice, I'll just leave them to it then although they might need life jackets after all the rain we've had! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy chickens! Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 If you like lots of white to your leeks plant them deeply - or earth them up a bit to blanche them. I think they're a very flexible veg - you can just keep digging them up as you want them, rather than end up with a glut. A tip I was given was to grow them from seed in a pot, fairly crammed in, then when you dig up your new potatoes, bung them in and you've got a second crop that year of something with very little effort - my kind of growing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Just leave them to it unless you live in an area affected by allium leaf miner then you need to cover them with enviromesh from now until November I think its still confined to the midlands. we've got it bad in this area. we were one of the first places to get them http://www.sandwellallotments.ik.com/p_Leaf_miner.ikml - I was going to say just leave them! - I'd better go and look at mine now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 when planting leeks, dont cover them in soil (you probably know this , but as its something that I actually know about gardening, im gonna carry on ) use a dibber thingy and then drop the leek in the hole, then water in if you cover them in soil they become very bulbous (apparently ) Kev has just said that you could cover the ground in newspaper (as a mulch) and plant through the newspaper - this slows the weeds down, so you dont have to weed as much (weeding fills the holes in ) they also last for ages in the ground, so you will be picking them in January/february (as long as you dont eat them before hand ) Have fun cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted August 27, 2009 Author Share Posted August 27, 2009 Thanks for the advice, I got to use my new dibber when planting them and have been out today weeding and earthing up in the wind and rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 I am not always very successful with veg but one year my farrier gave me a plastic coffee cup with leek seedlings in and I put them in along a wall and they fed us all through the winter! What an easy vegetable. I just would pull one up as I needed it. I then grew some the following year and gave a cup to one of our friends. They never went mushy in the freezing weather..great for soups stock etc indie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 oh, what a lovely idea - giving someone a cup of leeks I might do that next year cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 My elderly and wise music teacher grows them in plastic drainage tubes and he gets the most fantastic long whites. He just keep topping up the soil as they grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 My leeks are all looking a bit sad at the moment maybe they have leaf miner, must go and check them I love leeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 I love leeks too! I've spent an afternoon this week transplanting all my leeks (about 180!) from a site were there very cramped to a whole raised bed to themselves. They varied from pencil thick to shoe lace like. I trimmed their roots, and with some of them I trimmed the leaves. (These ones look better) I know they will withstand cold, but will they grow anymore? I hope so! It's still fairly mild here at the moment. I'll put a fleece over them if anyone thinks it will help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 I love leeks too! I've spent an afternoon this week transplanting all my leeks (about 180!) from a site were there very cramped to a whole raised bed to themselves. They varied from pencil thick to shoe lace like. I trimmed their roots, and with some of them I trimmed the leaves. (These ones look better) I know they will withstand cold, but will they grow anymore? I hope so! It's still fairly mild here at the moment. I'll put a fleece over them if anyone thinks it will help? they should kepp growing albeit slowly over winter but you might find they saulk until march then start growing give them a feed of chicken pellets something like roosterbooster the nitrogen will give them a boost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
