Leek question.

[Scoot]

How long can you leave them in the ground for?

Got quite a nice crop of leeks but i dont want to harvest them all as i'll have no room in the freezer so was just wondering how long you can leave them in the ground through the autumn/winter?

[veggiechicken]

Untii they bolt - probably next year. Pull them as you need them.

[Bigmallly]

As soon as you see them starting to bolt, nip the tops off & use them 1st.

[Penellype]

Depends a bit on the variety. I leave mine in the soil until I need the space, but I find they go a bit tough and stringy by around May of the 2nd year.

[Snadger]

If you need the space you can dig em up if they are big enough, dig a hole somewhere out of the way and heal them in with as much soil as you can take with them.Give them a good watering.
That way you can prepare the original bed for another crop and still harvest them as you need them. They will keep for ages.

[Jay-ell]

They'll be fine till late spring - can't say when as usually I've eaten all mine one by one before then

[bario1]

I find they go slimy by January.

[Thelma Sanders]

I find they go slimy by January.

Yup! Depends on the weather. A cold icy spell can turn them to mush, but in a normal run-of-the-mill winter, they just stand there waiting for you to eat them When a cold snap is forecast I always dig up some of the stand-by winter crops - leeks, parsnips and swede - and store them in buckets in the outhouse, so I can at least get at them while the ground is frozen solid.

[Scoot]

Cheers for the answers everyone.

A few of them did bolt but i snipped the flower stem off yesterday. So now i don't know which ones they are hahaha!

I'm making a corned beef hot pot right now and have took a couple out and hoyed them in too. Looking forward to it.