[Marcus10]

Hi,
I was going to put some collars around my leeks today to help get a longer white shank. Last year I used plastic piping,bought at great expense,from the local DIY shop. However I don't have enough of it for all the leeks so I was considering using some cardborad tubing which I have, which is like loo rolls but much thicker. My slight concern is this may start to rot in wet weather and use the leeks to rot. Has anyone used cardborad tubing before over winter and can put my mind to rest that it will be ok? Thanks.

[mumofstig]

I have - it was 

[gavinjconway]

Hi Marcus - you never need to buy that sort of stuff.. just keep your eyes on skips in your daily travels - you will find loads of stuff like gutter down pipes etc. that you can use. Or go to your local roofing companies and ask them if they have or if they can keep some for you.

p.s. Just ask for permission to remove from the skip. I've never had a person say no yet!!

[RJR_38]

Can I just ask why people want to put collars etc on and have as much white as possible? Is it just for aesthetic reasons or doses the white taste significantly different from the green? I haven't got anything like that on my leeks and they are filling up nicely now 

[Marcus10]

Thanks for thje quick replies. I will try the cardboard ones.


Gavin, that is what I thought. I have spent the last 6 months looking in skips but to no avail!

Having said that, the plastic collars worked a treat last year and were (probably) worth the expense. A good 10 inches of white on each leek.

RJR, the white has a milder (almost sweeter) flavour so its all a question of personal taste.

[mumofstig]

I used the split loo rolls because I had planted my leeks in a newly made raised bed, and within a week or 2 the soil level had dropped several inches, so I had very little blanched stem.

The cardboard rolls made all the difference that year. I don't use them now - I just make sure that they're dibbed in nice and deep

[RJR_38]

Ok, perfect. I dibbed mine in fairly deep ( well as long as the maze of roots would allow me) and as I often use them as a form of onion in some of my winter dishes then having more green doesn't bother me too much. One less job I have to do

Thanks for the info!

[devonbarmygardener]

Ok, perfect. I dibbed mine in fairly deep ( well as long as the maze of roots would allow me) and as I often use them as a form of onion in some of my winter dishes then having more green doesn't bother me too much. One less job I have to do

Thanks for the info!

Ooh I experimented with my second planting out of leeks and trimmed the roots and leaves like DD and some others suggested. I can report that they are starting to grow!

[mumofstig]

Mine certainly look much happier after the recent rain 

[Goosegirl]

Last year (as well as this) I grew "Tornado" leeks. For the first time I decided to trim their roots to about 3" long (but not the leaves) and dibbed them into a hole 6" deep and about 4" wide to get the roots in without all the twisting and cramping with getting long roots into a thinner hole, and it helped to get the root base right to the bottom of the hole. Also tried collars for the first time and placed them over the leaves in about late August before they got too big to do it, and sank the tubes down to the bottom of the leek and earthed up the soil around them to keep them in place. I used loo rolls and Crimbo paper tubes but I didn't have enough of them to do all the leeks because my OH likes the white part because it is more tender. I found that, in autumn, the tubes unrolled with the damp weather, but I still had a good harvest of leeks with a long white shank. The amount of white shank depends on the variety you choose, for example, "Musselburgh" have a shorter, but fatter, white shank; but, in the kitchen, you may get the same amount of white leek from this as you would from a taller but thinner one like "Tornado". See how you go, but I would also contact a few builders and roofing contractors for old plastic piping.