How to Grow Leeks With Long White Stems

Leeks hardly ever make it onto a first veggie patch, which is a shame, because they suit our winters, most bugs leave them alone, and the thing people think is the hard part is really just one trick about how deep you put them in.

Why they are worth a row

They handle a cool winter and a mild spring without complaining, which covers most of the year here. Pests generally are not interested in them, so that is one less thing to spray. Their roots go down and break up compacted ground, so the crop that follows them gets an easier run. And because they sit there slowly doing their thing while everything else bolts in the first warm week, they give the patch a bit of rhythm rather than a boom and a bust.

Pick a variety that suits a cool winter

You want something with a strong stem and decent bolt resistance, because a leek that runs to seed on you goes woody in the middle and you have lost the edible part.

Seed or seedling, either is fine

Seedlings are the shortcut if you want them in the ground now. If you are going from seed, sow into trays and move them out when they are about as thick as a pencil, and that thickness is the cue rather than any particular number of weeks.

Loose soil, and plenty of compost

They want soil they can push down through, so compost worked in and a bit of slow-release organic fertiliser is about right. A lot of ground around here is clay-heavy, so drainage is the thing to watch, and if water sits after rain then the bed needs opening up before the leeks go in.

Plant them deep, and this is the whole trick

The long white stem everybody wants is just the part of the leek that never saw daylight, so you get it by planting deep rather than by doing anything clever later. Make a hole about the depth of your finger with a dibber or a bit of dowel, drop the seedling in, and do not backfill it. Water it in and let the rain wash soil down around the stem over the following weeks, which blanches it gently and does the job for you.

Give them room

Crowding is the other common mistake, because a leek that is fighting its neighbour for space stays thin, and thin leeks are a lot of waiting for not much dinner.

Water at the base, and mulch

Steady water rather than a lot of water, aimed at the roots instead of over the top, and a mulch around them to hold the moisture and keep the weeds down while they take their time.

Then wait, because they will not be rushed

Four to six months depending on when they went in, and there is no speeding that up. What you get out of it, besides the leeks, is that growing them quietly teaches you spacing and timing and patience, which are the three things that make everything else in the patch go better.

Come and have a yak with us about what to put in and when, because the timing shifts with the season and it is easier to sort out in person than off a packet.

Shop related products

• D.T. Brown Leek Musselburgh, 500 seed pack. The old reliable, thick stemmed and good through a cold winter.
• Brunnings Seed Raising Mix 5L. For starting them in trays until they are pencil thick.
• Brunnings Garden Compost with Seaweed 25L. Work it through before planting so the soil is loose enough.
• Neutrog 1L Seamungus Liquid Concentrate. A gentle feed while they are growing on.
• Martins Organic Pea Straw Mulch 11kg. Keeps the moisture in and the weeds down over a long crop.

The rest of the seed and the soil improvers are in the garden centre.

Keep reading

• A Beginner's Guide to Building Good Soil for Your Vegetable Garden
• Seeds vs Seedlings: Which is the Best Starting Point for Your Garden?

Candeece. Slow is fine. I'm slow too.

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