Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: greenhead on July 23, 2012, 11:25
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Hi, I have tried to grow leeks for the last five years with no real success by this I mean the end result looks like salad onions! This year quite by chance I planted the seedlings ( looking like grass) North South where previously they were planted East West. The first sowings are now 1" across and look good. Soil preparation exactly the same as previous years. Have I discovered something? or is it just primitive justice for the rotten potato crop so far.
Its nice to have some success on the plot this year. :D
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It's just a fluke ;) row direction makes no difference at all...honest :lol:
Maybe they just enjoyed the wetter soil this year provided :unsure:
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I think it must be due to soil condition and feeding.
For example, I've been growing great leaks for several years in a well-established garden plot that's had loads of manure over the last thirty years. This year I opened up an adjoining piece of pasture land to extend the veggie growing area, I planted 100 leak seedlings in there at the same time as planting some from the same batch in the well-established area.
The ones in the well-established area are growing like the clappers and are over an inch in diameter. The ones in the newly cultivated area are just, like you say yours were, less than pencil thickness despite copious amounts of Growmore
My message from this to myself is to barrow in tons of old stable manure this autumn for the new bit
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Mine are planted in a block like sweetcorn (but closer together) so don't have a clue which direction they're facing! :unsure:
Doing OK though, as in previous years, but certainly good feeding is important, especially with all the wet weather we've been having.
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Mine still look like spring onions :(
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Mine still look like spring onions :(
So do mine, but they've only been planted out for a few weeks (looked more like chives when they went in!) :lol:
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I have really noticed the difference this year between varieties.
Last year the leeks were huge Bulgarian Giant, but they were badly rusted by spring.
This year I sowed the rest of them, plus Porbello(sp) which are supposed to be rust resistant, and they are chive size like yours..................
I'll have to see if I can sort out a big one that is rust resistant ;) :lol:
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I'm growing a variety called Porbello, for no better reason than they were free :)
RHS recommends varieties Carlton, Pancho, Apollo and Toledo, but I have to say I've never heard of any of those. I'd normally do Musselburgh, but I keep meaning to try Blue Solaise simply because it's a lovely name.
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I'm growing a variety called Porbello, for no better reason than they were free :)
RHS recommends varieties Carlton, Pancho, Apollo and Toledo, but I have to say I've never heard of any of those. I'd normally do Musselburgh, but I keep meaning to try Blue Solaise simply because it's a lovely name.
I planted out about 100 Blue Solaise today; they looked like small spring onions as did the long French ones I also planted out. In favourable growing conditions will these turn into Leeks or just larger spring onions? In previous years, I've planted te seedlings much earlier and they hadn't "bulbed" at all.
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Leeks don't bulb up, they have a white stem instead.
Best ones so far this year are Volta -- ate the first this weekend :D
Others for later look decent at pencil thickness are Bleu de Solaise, American Flag and Lyon Prizetaker 2
Also have some golden leaved ones which haven't gone out yet that are a bit thicker than a biro filler, but I have no doubt they will catch up
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You really like leeks, don't you??? :)
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You really like leeks, don't you??? :)
We sure do :D :D :D
Sounds like masses but actually it is probably only about 80 to 100, which over the year doesnlt mean a glut :nowink:
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My have gone the other way, the first year was good, nice size and all grew well. After that very little success and seemed to get worse and this year I didn't bother.
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I'm growing a variety called Porbello, for no better reason than they were free :)
RHS recommends varieties Carlton, Pancho, Apollo and Toledo, but I have to say I've never heard of any of those. I'd normally do Musselburgh, but I keep meaning to try Blue Solaise simply because it's a lovely name.
I planted out about 100 Blue Solaise today; they looked like small spring onions as did the long French ones I also planted out. In favourable growing conditions will these turn into Leeks or just larger spring onions? In previous years, I've planted te seedlings much earlier and they hadn't "bulbed" at all.
I grew Bleu de Solaise last year to follow on from early potatoes. They went in looking rather spindly, but turned out beautifully. They are a late variety that lasted well I to spring for me without bolting, so don't be fooled by them now. Mine are still spindly this year having only just gone in. Hoping for a repeat performance.
edit to fix quote