Leeks in Trenches

[Snadger]

For some years I've made trenches with earthed up sides (about 8 inches top to bottom), trod down the base of the trench then dibbered and planted. Over the following months through the actions of weeding and weather the trench fills in until the leeks are nicely blanched and ready. Sadly though, yesterday I dug up and binned all 300 leeks, spoilt by the allium leaf miner.

You must be gutted Mr Bones!

[Penellype]

For some years I've made trenches with earthed up sides (about 8 inches top to bottom), trod down the base of the trench then dibbered and planted. Over the following months through the actions of weeding and weather the trench fills in until the leeks are nicely blanched and ready. Sadly though, yesterday I dug up and binned all 300 leeks, spoilt by the allium leaf miner.

That sounds really awful . We don't have this pest here (yet), but I do know the feeling having once lost a whole crop of carrots to carrot fly with not a single one edible. You have my sympathy.

[greenishfing]

This year I have got a decent crop of leeks for the first time ever. I planted the seed in large plant pots earlier than usual in multi purpose compost and then waited until they actually reached pencil thickness before I planted out making 6 inch holes with a dibber, dropping them in and filling with water (having rotovated lots of manure in first.) . All the other allotments seemed to have planted out their leeks weeks before me but I was lucky as everyone else's seemed to go to seed and mine haven't. (maybe weather related at planting out time?) At the beginning of September I began earthing them up. By the end of October they were really well earthed up.
They taste great with a good long blanched stem.
Now I've just got to try and do the same thing again next year.

[the beadle]

For some years I've made trenches with earthed up sides (about 8 inches top to bottom), trod down the base of the trench then dibbered and planted. Over the following months through the actions of weeding and weather the trench fills in until the leeks are nicely blanched and ready. Sadly though, yesterday I dug up and binned all 300 leeks, spoilt by the allium leaf miner.

What an absolute shame but as they say (to me quite a lot) there's always next year.