[Lisa62]

Wow, I thought I'd asked a simple question! 
Now, how long is that piece of string.....?

[Lisa62]

Thanks BobE, my whole vegetable growing experience is an experiment with a bit of luck and good advice from this forum!
Prefer Beechgrove Garden to Slimy Monty though....but that's another thread for another day.

[Ema]

Probably wont bother here sounds far too labour intensive

[DD.]

It's not.

Handful of leeks. Snip, snip. Job done.

I don't sit them down in a hairdresser's chair and give them individual treatment! 

[Growster...]

One of my books recommends that you make sure that the leek is planted in the hole, with the leaves arranged in line with the row, so hoeing is made easier...

Now that rule seems to be the one to break every time as far as I'm concerned!

I tried trimming roots this year, but quite a lot had such small root systems, they went in uncut!

[New shoot]

I don't sit them down in a hairdresser's chair and give them individual treatment! 

   Must be my imagination, or just warped sense of humour 

Leek hairdressers immediately spring into my mind.  Just a light trim sir?  Perm madam - that might make Growster's line up the leaves trick a bit of a challenge, but let's go for it and see how he manages   

[DD.]

I've got over 200 to do and to be honest, far from being labour intensive, it makes the job much easier. A quick snip, a handful of leeks is done, no faffing about untangling roots and they drop straight to the bottom of the hole.

I'll have to get planting soon, got a nice soft bit of ground that'll dib easily, leeks are over 18" tall in their trays and I've got a nice long dibber from an ex fork handle that I broke recently!

[maxie]

Im a snipper too especally the roots to get them in the hole.

[seaside]

Looks like we have a consensus in that it matters not one way or the other.

More importantly, this year my main leek crop was transplanted uncut a month ago and are now a good half a meter proud of their deep dibbed holes. That's an end of June record for me. I must have done something right.
For some reason though I think they might need protecting from pests in the virgin part of the allotment I have used this year. Just a feeling.
Anybody else out there that experiences such crop instincts for no apparent reason ?

[DD.]

The advantage of living in the deep south.

The disadvantage is leek moth, which is working its way north.

[mumofstig]

I've planted mine in my garden this year, in the hope that the moth won't find them as easily as on the allotment.
Fingers crossed - If it doesn't work I'll be into industrial quantities of enviromesh next year 

[DD.]

I've already got it and am prepared.

They're not going to get me again!

[seaside]

The advantage of living in the deep south.

The disadvantage is leek moth, which is working its way north.

That certainly is a concern DD. In the past I have put leeks out a lot lot later and that has been rewarded with little pest problems.
My onions are probably only a month from their optimum, so I'll take a chance with them, but the leeks have a few months yet, so I think they'll be getting the fleece treatment, once I've checked them over as best I can. I'm becoming a fleece addict.

[Wiltshire Worms]

I planted my first lot out no trimming...reading the previous thread I tried the trimming method of roots as suggested by DD just to see, and ease of planting makes it well worth doing especially if it makes no difference to the final crop

[Kajazy]

The rabbits have done an excellent job in trimming mine..!