best way to transplant leeks!

[Flummery]

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.

[snohare]

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....

[Plotlady]

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.

[nick the grief]

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

[JennieAtkinson]

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!

[Flummery]

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.

[Plotlady]

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.

[pigletwillie]

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.

[poly boiler]

You all seem really good at growing leeks, i started mine frolm seed and they are pathetic. So much so that I have just sown another lot directly into the seed bed to see if they do any better. What do you think I did wrong

[JennieAtkinson]

I sowed mine in a pot PB and they looked very pathetic ... for a while. How that they have grown on a bit, they are looking great!