best way to transplant leeks!

[buttercup]

hi there,
i went to my plot last night to transplant my leeks,
im using a method i saw in a book which involves dibbing a hole bigger than the leeks then filling the holes with water taking care not to get the soil in the leaves.
problem is the roots of my leeks are so large that they curled and bunched up at the bottem of the hole!
will this be a problem?
could you trim them or will they be ok?
also do i need to put some sort of mulch overthem while they are in largeish holes?
is this a good method to use, if not how do all you pro's do it!
any advice is desperately needed, i couldnt sleep last night wondering if my poor little leeks are ok!
cheers buttercup

[buttercup]

cheers lesley!
i didnt have a propper dibber so i hope that the hole isnt to big!
and i just read somthing about birds nibbling them so will cover them with some netting later!
but good to know that you can trim the roots a little so you can get them in a smaller hole!
cheers buttercup

[Nicos]

When you water in the baby leeks, some of the soil should wash down onto the roots and cover them a bit. That should be plenty at this time of the year.
Our dibber is an old piece of broom handle.

[berksmike]

You want to leave enough space for them to bulk out..
I use an old mop handle and make a straight hole at least 2" across and 6-8" deep.

[jacob marley]

This is the way i plant mine make the holes about six inches deep get plants ready i cut half the roots off and a third of the leaves put plant in hole and fill it up with water make sure the plant doe,s not float out and then go and do some thing else but check before you go home then wait about six months for the result good luck.

[nick the grief]

I Use a bulb planter as I grow them in modules rather than a seed bed. I use it for planting everything apart from spuds

......any advice is desperately needed, i couldnt sleep last night wondering if my poor little leeks are ok!.....

You really need to get out more Buttercup

[rustylady]

I'm absolutely amazed that your leeks are ready for transplanting already

[Nicos]

I'm absolutely amazed that your leeks are ready for transplanting already

I've not even sown mine yet!!!

[serenity]

How close do you plant the leeks? I was wondering if I could plant them closer than recommended at first then pick some as baby leeks and leave the rest to mature? would this work or would I be better to keep the 2 separate?

[Plotlady]

Hi there, I'm a new member and was interested in the gossip on leeks. Mine are still in the seed tray but hardening off in the cold frame. Do I need to grow them on in individual pots before planting out/ Any advise on anything from anyone out there will be welcome! Thanks Julia

[Earthbabe]

You probably could do that serenity. I think the final spacing is 6 to 9 inches. We gave ours a bit more space last year and got less rust problems. We also planted through membrane to keep the weeds down.

We have had some huge leeks and all very tasty. I cut some of the top off when I transplant from the seed bed but not the roots. Any left over get used as "baby leeks" or in place of spring onions. Although this year I may have some takers for my surplus.

[buttercup]

thanks everyone!

my leeks are a little on the small side to transplant! but i have no room left anywhere,and as i have some more on the go i thought id get them in my lovely new raised beds!
i tried lots of different sized things as a dibber but ended up using a permanent pen because it seemed like a good size for them.
i trimmed a couple of their roots (as an experiment) so they fitted in the holes better, thank god that i havent killed them!
i put some netting down last night and a bit of tin foil because i heard birds are quite partial to a nibble!( and i wanted to sleep tonight!)
are there any other things that i could do to help my little babies along!
cheers buttercup

[buttercup]

cheers lesley!
i suppose my leeks are pretty small, thinner than a pencil and the pen was one of those chunky ones!
i suppose i could increase the holes as they get bigger???

the other leeks i have are in a 4'' tub, and i can see from the bottom that all the roots have hit the bottom and are snaking around!
can i still leave them in the tub till there pencil size then seperate the roots later, or will they suffer??
cheers buttercup

[pigletwillie]

I plant mine out after I have lifted the early potatoes but which time the leeks are as thick as a pencil. I dib a hole about 8-10" deep using the shaft of an old spade, drop them in and give a good watering.

The main crop are planted 9" apart and some are planted 4" apart to use as baby leeks. I never trim roots or leaves and like Lesley grow them in seed trays in the main.

[heebiejeebie]

I have a related question - I have leeks in odd places in my far plot as we bunged them in wherever the ground was prepared and empty to overwinter.

Is it OK to move them so I can clear proper plots? I'd happily just pick them and eat them but there are quite a lot!