Growing Leeks

Latest Update 26th December 2019.

Leeks

• The leaves make a fine addition to soups and casseroles etc, and I like nicely blanched leek stems steamed with a little seasoning as an accompaniment to fish dishes.
• Leeks are best cooked as soon as they are harvested.  They are slow growing and can be harvested as required over a few weeks.
• They are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.

Details.

• Variety:                                                    King Richard.
• Family group:                                           Allioideae.
• Crop rotation group:                                  Light Feeders.
• Garden bed type:                                      Garden Ecobed.
• Minimum sun per day:                              4 hours.
• Plant spacings (centres)                           150 mm. (Clusters)
• Weeks to harvest:                                     20 weeks.
• Good companions:                                   Carrot.
  
• Climate:                                                   Warm temperate
• Geography:                                              Southern hemisphere.

Nutrition.

• This food is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  
• It is also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folate, iron and magnesium, and a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. 
• More from nutrition data.self.com.

Maintain Healthy Plants

• This blogpage explains how I maintain healthy plants.  It describes how soil is prepared prior to planting, how to regulate the sun's intensity and how to help protect and feed plants through their leaves.

Propagate Plants Efficiently

•  This blogpage explains how I propagate seeds in a purpose built propagator.

Propagation Plan 2020.

• This blogpage tells you when to sow seeds.

Services Plan 2020.

• This blogpage tells you when to make compost and plan other garden/household related activities.

Growing Instructions.

• Multi-sow 40 leek seeds in 10 homemade moistened soil blocks.
• Sit a flat polycarbonate tray on the wicking medium in an EcoPropagator and cover it with wet horticultural fleece.  Bury one end of the fleece down to the water tank to provide a supply of wicked water to the fleece on the surface.
• Place the seed blocks on the surface fleece so the seeds have a constant supply of wicked water.
• When the seedlings have germinated and grown to about 100 mm tall, plant the soil blocks directly into the prepared bed using a large dibber.
• Clear space through the mulch where the leeks are to grow and make a planting hole with the dibber through the compost and into the soil.  Bury the soil blocks in the planting hole so they are level with the surface and water them in thoroughly with captured rainwater.
• Bring back the mulch once the leeks are established and growing strongly, to cover any exposed soil or compost.

Harvest and Storage

• Harvest leeks when they are big enough to use in the kitchen and use them while they are still fresh.
• Twist the largest leeks from the clusters when harvesting, and continue this way until they are finished.
• Twisting them leaves most of their roots in the soil so the remaining leeks are not disturbed too much.

Organic Pest Control.

• Leeks, like most vegetables, are vulnerable to attack from certain pests in my garden.  My blog on "Controlling Garden Pests" explains a little about these pests and what to do to protect plants from them.  For details click on the appropriate link below.
• Slugs and snails.
• Aphids (blackfly).