Leeks

Leeks are one of the hardiest crops you can grow and can provide delicious crops from October to April.

The last of my leek variety Mammoth to be harvested in late March

I like to sow leeks thinly in trays in the greenhouse in early March.  When the seedlings are a couple of inches high I put them in to a cold frame to grow on until they are ready for transplanting into their final positions in April.

Leeks, onions, Brussels Sprouts and broad beans hardening off in a cold frame

By late April the young plants, having reached a length of about 20cms or 6 to 8 inches long are ready for transplanting into w ell-prepared bed, manured for a previous crop with added fish, blood and bone organic fertiliser at the rate of a couple of handfuls per square metre.  I make a hole with a dibber a good 15cms deep and drop a plant in to each hole.  I then water the hole and keep the bed well watered thereafter until the young plants are well established.

By late May the crop is starting to race ahead.  I always keep a few plants back to fill in any gaps.  This year I am growing three varieties to give me leeks to eat from October to the end of March; Siegfried, Mammoth and Atlanta