Why do we transplant leeks?

[Jimmy]

Last year I was late sowing my leeks so I just left them where they were, no transplanting.
They seemed just as good as other years.
So why is it recommended to transplant?
Jimmy

[bario1]

Don't think there's any perceived 'advantage' to transplanting, it just means you can start them off in a tray or seed bed at a much smaller spacing. If you have the space to sow at their final spacing, there's no reason not to, in fact, i'd have thought they'd be happier without the transplanting.

[rary]

Good question Jimmy, and one that could be asked about a number of garden practices, I grow my leeks for transplanting due to the fact the growing season would be too short to achieve leeks of a decent size if I waited till the soil temp was suitable for sowing seeds

[nickdub]

generally its a space thing and probably influenced by the days of the large garden which had to produce food for a family + staff numbering say 40 or more all year round. Sowing leeks in drills meant say 50 ' of seedlings growing on for a few months - then when they were bigger they could be planted out in their final positions after the early spuds were lifted - make the best use of the available ground.

[Penellype]

Leeks sown direct have most of the stem above ground. If you like blanched stems then you need to either transplant them and plant them deeply, earth them up or grow self-blanching varieties. They are perfectly edible with green stems, but they are whiter and softer if buried.