QUESTION:
Can you offer any tips on planting leeks? Mine never seem to grow strong stems, more like spring onions.
ANSWER:
From early autumn to late winter, leeks can be sown direct into beds or planted out from punnets. Avoid over-fertilising to prevent too much leafy growth.
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Dig a shallow trench. If your soil is heavy, mix in some grit or coarse sand at the base.
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Separate seedlings and space them about 10cm apart along the trench.
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Plant each seedling upright and backfill to cover the roots.
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Water with a dilute seaweed solution, then mulch with sugar cane mulch.
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Keep the soil moist for a week, then ease off as seedlings establish. Leeks are a slow crop – 14-20 weeks to harvest is typical – but worth the wait. Harvest when stems are 2-4cm in diameter, when flavour is at its most delicate. For a crop of tender, pale stems, mound soil or mulch around the base as they grow to blanch the lower stems naturally.
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