Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Welcome => New Across The Site => Topic started by: John on June 28, 2020, 14:01

Title: Growing Leeks
Post by: John on June 28, 2020, 14:01
Fighting the weather and slugs but at least the leeks are coming along nicely!

Growing Leeks (https://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/6949/growing-leeks/)
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: Beepee on June 29, 2020, 17:58
Hi John.  Just watched the video.  I'm one  of the old timers who copied father and has up to now trimmed top and roots when planting out. ...roots because there is often just so much of it and I trim off the straggly bits so that all of the root goes down the bottom of the hole. ...tops (just the top floppy bits) for no other reason than it tidies up the rows.
However, I also trim them a couple of times thro' the season to get rid of the straggly tops again and prevent damaging the leaves when hoeing.  So far no harm done and I've produced some reasonable results.
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: John on June 29, 2020, 18:05
That's what I love about growing - there's more than one way to do most things and rarely one and only one best. They look very good leeks, btw. Quite jealous.. :)
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: New shoot on June 29, 2020, 20:58
Get ready to be really annoyed with me then :lol:  From my diary - these are Musselburgh leeks and not even a new packet.  I can claim no credit.  Bunged them in, watered a bit, weeded a bit, ignored them a lot ... sorry  :blush:

I also sowed more beetroot, some erbette and chard, plus a seed row of leeks.  I was in two minds whether to grow these this year, but I reckon they are tough enough to stand a week or so of total lock down as a seed row and then be good gap fillers later on in the year.

Update on direct sown seeds ... The leeks have done really well and I transplanted them today... they are better than seedlings I have grown at home in pots before now.  There is a lesson there from the no-faff school of gardening, but I can't remember what just now   :closedeyes:
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: jambop on June 29, 2020, 21:56
Mine (blue de Solaise ) were bought at the local market a bunch of 50 that turned out to be 68  :D
planted out the day they were bought and have grown amazingly well and are ready to lift now seen growing in front of my dwarf coco bianco beans :lol:
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: John on June 30, 2020, 01:04
Very organised and neat, Jambop!
As for you, New shoot _ I don't know why I bother.. Chuck the seeds at the ground and run, has to be an easy system :)
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: Growster... on June 30, 2020, 06:44
'Bandit' leeks, sowed 2nd March, transplanted as demanded by DD into larger pots when 'biro' size, planted out when - er - larger 'biro' size into Marshalls spud-bags on June 1st...

This is a 'new' idea at 'The Turrets', as we're looking at smaller areas these days, and the old laurel hedge came out in the corner, so we perched these three bags behind the stumps!

I popped in around 13/14 per bag of own compost, added this,
https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=132446.msg1533500#msg1533500

...and here they are as of this morning...

Courgettes both sides and I have to keep bashing the laurel to keep it down - (any ideas on how to get it out, as it's undig-outable...)? The nasturtium is one of several million which self-seeded about twenty years ago, so we just let them wander around - bit like me really...!

Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: jambop on June 30, 2020, 09:19
Very organised and neat, Jambop!
As for you, New shoot _ I don't know why I bother.. Chuck the seeds at the ground and run, has to be an easy system :)
Thanks John I took my open garden from the four large'ish plots of about 8m x 15m and made sixteen 3 x 1.4 and two 7 x 1.5 for my tomatoes. The up shot of that is I do have a little less growing area but seem to get a lot in to it and the real bonus is while I still get a few weeds they are easy to remove and my wife will now do that freely whereas before she would not go near the big garden area it was too much for her and got much more weeds. The real reason was to do with water logging and I am looking forward to seeing if I have solved a problem.

Growster ... looking good I remember seeing those bags with watering system before the leeks were in.
New shoot... Sometmes the best way is the easy way... seems so for you so why change  :lol:
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: New shoot on June 30, 2020, 10:01
I have to keep bashing the laurel to keep it down - (any ideas on how to get it out, as it's undig-outable...)?

Look on Ebay for Ecoplugs Mr G.  You drill holes in the tree or shrub stump you want to kill, then bash them into the holes with a hammer.  They delivery herbicide directly into the stump, without harming any other plants nearby.

I like your courgette, nasturtium and leek corner.  Its my style of slightly chaotic gardening as well.  Life is always better for a few random nasturiums wandering around  :)
Title: Re: Growing Leeks
Post by: Growster... on June 30, 2020, 12:17
Wow, thank you, News, I'd never heard of them - will look them out, as there's also a load of holly stuck in there as well!

That corner has turned into a 'micro-patch', with land-cress, toms, courgettes, leeks, French beans, runner beans, lettuce, carrots, beetroot, springs, chives, two rockets, spinach (I think), and also the smelliest comfrey/nettle/6x concoction in the county... when the bucket is open, - not all the time, as the place would be deserted in no time at all...:0~