Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: LivvyW on February 25, 2009, 20:54

Title: Is it okay to leave leek roots in the soil after harvesting?
Post by: LivvyW on February 25, 2009, 20:54
I vaguely remember  seeing something that said to be careful when harvesting leeks.
Maybe it was just to ensure you didn;t remove to much soil from the bed.

Was i dreaming? 

I dug up a load of my small but scrummy leeks, (after the snow they had taken a battering) Made lots of soup and a chicken and leek pie.

Anyway the leek bed )soon to be pea and bean bed is riddled with root and smelling very 'oniony'  It will just rot down though, won't it?
Title: Re: Is it okay to leave leek roots in the soil after harvesting?
Post by: shaun on February 25, 2009, 20:56
yes no harm at all
Title: Re: Is it okay to leave leek roots in the soil after harvesting?
Post by: senrab_nhoj on February 26, 2009, 09:01
I vaguely remember  seeing something that said to be careful when harvesting leeks.
Maybe it was just to ensure you didn;t remove to much soil from the bed.

Was i dreaming? 


Might be that if you aren't careful when harvesting the leeks you get soil falling onto the ones you've not picked yet.. and getting soil inside the leeks leaves is a * to get out when you are prepping the veg after you have harvested them
Title: Re: Is it okay to leave leek roots in the soil after harvesting?
Post by: Trillium on February 26, 2009, 15:32
Peas don't mind onions at all, but I find beans are not so friendly to anything onion and might not do as well as they could elsewhere. I always keep mind well apart.
Title: Re: Is it okay to leave leek roots in the soil after harvesting?
Post by: celjaci on February 28, 2009, 15:14
the actual fibrous roots should soon rot and not be a problem but if part of the base of the leek is left-eg if you just pulled up rather than dug, then this can grow.
Leeks are actually perennials and produce beautiful pink/green flowers about 4ft tall, but when grown from the root base or if the whole plant is left in a second year they produce several small shoots never as big as new plants grown from seed