Grow Your Own Magazine

hi there,
i went to my plot last night to transplant my leeks,
im using a method i saw in a book which involves dibbing a hole bigger than the leeks then filling the holes with water taking care not to get the soil in the leaves.
problem is the roots of my leeks are so large that they curled and bunched up at the bottem of the hole!
will this be a problem?
could you trim them or will they be ok?
also do i need to put some sort of mulch overthem while they are in largeish holes?
is this a good method to use, if not how do all you pro's do it!
any advice is desperately needed, i couldnt sleep last night wondering if my poor little leeks are ok!
cheers buttercup

cheers lesley!
i didnt have a propper dibber so i hope that the hole isnt to big!
and i just read somthing about birds nibbling them so will cover them with some netting later!
but good to know that you can trim the roots a little so you can get them in a smaller hole!
cheers buttercup

When you water in the baby leeks, some of the soil should wash down onto the roots and cover them a bit. That should be plenty at this time of the year.
Our dibber is an old piece of broom handle.

You want to leave enough space for them to bulk out..
I use an old mop handle and make a straight hole at least 2" across and 6-8" deep.

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This is the way i plant mine make the holes about six inches deep get plants ready i cut half the roots off and a third of the leaves put plant in hole and fill it up with water make sure the plant doe,s not float out and then go and do some thing else but check before you go home then wait about six months for the result good luck.

I Use a bulb planter as I grow them in modules rather than a seed bed. I use it for planting everything apart from spuds

You really need to get out more Buttercup

__________________
ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

I'm absolutely amazed that your leeks are ready for transplanting already

I've not even sown mine yet!!!

How close do you plant the leeks? I was wondering if I could plant them closer than recommended at first then pick some as baby leeks and leave the rest to mature? would this work or would I be better to keep the 2 separate?

Hi there, I'm a new member and was interested in the gossip on leeks. Mine are still in the seed tray but hardening off in the cold frame. Do I need to grow them on in individual pots before planting out/ Any advise on anything from anyone out there will be welcome! Thanks Julia

You probably could do that serenity. I think the final spacing is 6 to 9 inches. We gave ours a bit more space last year and got less rust problems. We also planted through membrane to keep the weeds down.

We have had some huge leeks and all very tasty. I cut some of the top off when I transplant from the seed bed but not the roots. Any left over get used as "baby leeks" or in place of spring onions. Although this year I may have some takers for my surplus.

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Earthbabe
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thanks everyone!

my leeks are a little on the small side to transplant! but i have no room left anywhere,and as i have some more on the go i thought id get them in my lovely new raised beds!
i tried lots of different sized things as a dibber but ended up using a permanent pen because it seemed like a good size for them.
i trimmed a couple of their roots (as an experiment) so they fitted in the holes better, thank god that i havent killed them!
i put some netting down last night and a bit of tin foil because i heard birds are quite partial to a nibble!( and i wanted to sleep tonight!)
are there any other things that i could do to help my little babies along!
cheers buttercup

cheers lesley!
i suppose my leeks are pretty small, thinner than a pencil and the pen was one of those chunky ones!
i suppose i could increase the holes as they get bigger???

the other leeks i have are in a 4'' tub, and i can see from the bottom that all the roots have hit the bottom and are snaking around!
can i still leave them in the tub till there pencil size then seperate the roots later, or will they suffer??
cheers buttercup

I plant mine out after I have lifted the early potatoes but which time the leeks are as thick as a pencil. I dib a hole about 8-10" deep using the shaft of an old spade, drop them in and give a good watering.

The main crop are planted 9" apart and some are planted 4" apart to use as baby leeks. I never trim roots or leaves and like Lesley grow them in seed trays in the main.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

I have a related question - I have leeks in odd places in my far plot as we bunged them in wherever the ground was prepared and empty to overwinter.

Is it OK to move them so I can clear proper plots? I'd happily just pick them and eat them but there are quite a lot!

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no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
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blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

You could heel 'em in for a few weeks. Lift them carefully keeping the roots intact if you can and lay them in a shallow trench on their sides, covering the roots with soil. They should keep well like this.

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www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Hi Julia, welcome to the Grapevine ! I have a friend who grows his leeks in large pots and then transplants directly into the ground, that works fine and makes for a lot less hassle watering etc than transplanting them into lots of wee pots, plus I think they like to be a wee bittie crowded to begin with. As long as your seed trays are deep enough that your leeks are not getting dried out or malnourished, then I would guess you'd be okay - but I'm just guessing, I have only ever watched others grow them, this year is my first time for myself....

Thanks for the advise Snohare, as it happens I've now spent ages transplanting them into small individual pots. They seem to be ok, just not sure when and how to plant them out into the plot. This allotment game is all new to me, I'm learning as I go along. I don't think I'm doing too badly, but as there are only three other plots besides myself (and I rarely see anyone on the others) I've no one to ask for advise. 6 months ago it was more like a bomb site, with glass, rubble and weeds.

I always grow mine in pots as well till I plant out. Infact I grow pretty well everything in cells and transplant out rather than direct sowing

__________________
ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

I always grow my leeks in root trainers- it means I can keep them a bit longer in the pots waiting to plant out. Whether it is waiting for the weather or the plot to become vacant from the previous produce, I find it worthwhile. I sow about four per module and then split them when planting out.

PS Welcome to the Vine Julia!

I sow in a pot then when they have unfolded I put them in empty large marge tubs (with drainage hole, natch) about half an inch apart. They can stay there until I'm ready to follow an early crop with them. They thicken up and can then be dibbed in in the traditional manner. I feel that the bit extra compost helps.

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Hi Nick,
Yes I am also growing lot of stuff in cells etc. mainly because the plot was so bad when I took it over that I wouldn't have been in time to plant a lot of things. However, I'm not sure about carrots. I've put seed in, direct and nothing is showing yet. Would it be ok to start off in cells then transplant?
Also I've discovered rats at the plot! any advise on how to get rid PLEASE
Regards Julia
P.S. Thanks for the welcome to the vine.

Carrots and parsnips are about the only things that dont do well if started in modules Julia. The tap root hits the bottom very quickly, damaging it and causing forked roots.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs