Leeks - where did I go wrong?

[Chestnut]

I have just harvested the last of my leeks from 2018 sowing.

The instructions on the seed packet said to plant out when they were pencil thick. I gave up waiting and put them in when they were ‘inside of a biro’ thick.
Some of them still hadn’t made it to pencil thick by April....

Where did I go wrong?

[Jungle Jane]

If you sow them in a deep container they manage to grow thicker before planting out & separating.

[Teds Mum]

Mine were all pretty spindly inside of biro sized when I planted them out, they bulked up well though. Not massive but a useable size. The last few standing on my plot were grown from seed started just over 12 months ago.
I made holes with a dibber as deep as it would go and a few inches apart, dropped the seedlings one in each hole, watered them in and then almost completely ignored them for months. I pulled a few big weeds and watered if it was very dry but that was it. Just harvest the bigger ones and let the tiddlers grow on, they catch up eventually.

[Snoop Puss]

Sounds like you didn't do anything wrong if you've just picked your last ones.

Me, I plant them out when it suits me, whatever the size. People here buy leek seedlings that are barely two or three leaves thick. I've bought them like that too and they do perfectly all right. So long as there's something worth picking come early autumn, I don't mind.

[Penellype]

Leeks have quite big roots and like rich soil with plenty of organic matter in it. In my experience if you sow them thickly in a pot they never get to pencil thickness and probably run out of nutrients which checks their growth. If you sow in modules the modules are not deep enough for the roots.

I therefore ignore the pencil thickness instruction and plant them out when they get big enough to handle sensibly (probably around 4 leaves). Given good soil, enough water and some sun they then grow to a decent size, but some will always be rather small.

It is possible that last year they got a bit dry and this could have resulted in smaller leeks than expected.

[Chestnut]

I hadn’t realised they like a lot of root space, which is probably where I meant most wrong.
Sowed them into seed trays, bit late planting out (was waiting for them to get to pencil thick...), and that bit of garden only has about a spade depth of soil before you hit rubble.
The one thing I did get right was that I had spread the contents of the old compost bin there in the spring, so it should have had plenty of organic matter ;-)

[nickdub]

Best bet - either buy a cow or get in touch with a horse/farm owner - either way manure and loads of it is the answer. Something like 20 tons per acre was not considered excessive back in the day.

[veggiechicken]

Does anyone really wait for "pencil thickness" before they plant out?
I think its a myth to make everyone feel inadequate.
Leeks take so long to grow to a decent size that I've stopped growing from seed (almost).
I leave the base in the ground to grow back - or replant the bases that I cut off the leeks.
Saves all the faff of seed sowing and seems to be working.

[Chestnut]

That leads to 2 more questions....
How do I convert tonnes to pickup loads?
How many bucketfuls in a tonne? (So I can work out if 9 hours is long enough to shift it off front lawn before OH gets home and notices what I have done....).

Leeks have to grow at home due to white rot at allotment, and wheelbarrow isn’t an option as side gate is too narrow!

[veggiechicken]

You need a narrower wheelbarrow!
There's a thread about it . I doubt it will help but it may amuse you..https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ows_67786.html

[mcdood]

How many bucketfuls in a tonne? (So I can work out if 9 hours is long enough to shift it off front lawn before OH gets home and notices what I have done....).

Average bucket capacity =15L
Tonne=1000L
Required bucket loads=67 (may needed to be modified depending on size of buckets)
Hands=2 , Buckets = 2
Journeys required=34
Let me know the distance to be travelled and your latest shuttle run test results and we'll figure the time needed

[chris_m]

Average bucket capacity =15L
Tonne=1000L
Required bucket loads=67 (may needed to be modified depending on size of buckets)
Hands=2 , Buckets = 2
Journeys required=34
Let me know the distance to be travelled and your latest shuttle run test results and we'll figure the time needed

Could you also calculate the number of calories used so that one can determine how many beers are allowed afterwards?
;-)

[Chrissyteacup]

I’ll stop waiting then and get mine all planted out!!

[nickdub]

Actually its an interesting question what the best way to move heavy material such manure around when a wheel barrow is not an option is.

I often put stuff like soil in an old builders' 1 ton bag and drag it because that means not having to lift it off the ground and I can just leave it in the bag where I want it until I use it for potting mix or whatever - I have used an old tarpaulin in a similar way in the past - but empty builders bags are free to help yourself to simply for asking on most building sites - every garden bigger than a postage stamp should have one :-)

[nickdub]

Could you also calculate the number of calories used so that one can determine how many beers are allowed afterwards?
;-)

If you get the figure for a weekly gym membership in your area, you can also work out how much money you are saving by doing your own weight training scheme :-)