Leeks

[pampas]

I only have a very small garden, so am going to try and grow some veggies in pots, does anyone think leeks would work, or is that too ambitious ?

[selfraising]

Haven't tried them in pots before but I don't see why not. At the worse, you'll get lovely baby leeks!

[pampas]

thankyou selfraising, thats what i though but wanted it confirmed

[Pumpkin Becki]

I think they'd work okay. You could use lengths of drainpipe to help blanch them, coz you possibly won't have too much depth of soil - depends what pots you go for of course.

[pampas]

thats a good idea pumpkin becky, i never thought of that thankyou

[womble]

I think leeks are like goldfish, they tend to grow into the space they have, so if you have one leek per pot, it will grow massive and if you have ten, the ten will grow to about the same size as the one did.... Umm but in ten individual pieces, IYSWIM

[JamesA]

Hmm baby leeks, quite like the sound of that. Didnt think i had enough room for them but could be worth a shot after all.

[magz.mccarthy]

yup leeks do well in pots, if they have enough space. There are pot-grown leek competitions every year up north, or perhaps in Scotland. I grew some last year in a long shallow pot (aroudn 4 inches deep soil only) and they only got to around pencil thickness, but I would think that given more spacing and greater depth that they would be absolutely fine.

[gojiberry]

Northern England is the place for pot leeks and as MM said there are some very fiercely fought battles for the best pot leek. I dont know what variety they use as they are rather dumpy but huge in girth. You may get some information from Medwyn Williams as I'm fairly sure he sells seeds for huge pot leeks.

Ian

[Snadger]

There are two main types of leek, pot leek and blanch leek.

Pot leeks aren't so named because they are grown in pots though, (they are usually grown in raised trenches!) ..........................it's because they make good eating and are good for the pot!

To get mini leeks you could grow them in a pot, but to get reasonable sized leeks they need room to expand!

[sewer rat]

You can grow leeks in pots quite easily - I have done so in the past. You do need a pot that is quite big - I admit I did have a half whisky barrel. All you really need to do different is instead of filling it with MPC, use a John Innes compost which is more soil like.

[sclarke624]

For the past two years I have grown leeks in a 14" wide pot 14" deep with multi purpose compost. Five to a pot. Didn't know you were supposed to put them in a hole 6"deep just planted them. They were whoppas. Tasty too. Couldn't tell you what variety they were though cos it was a packet of seeds given to me, cheap from Lidls might of been musselwotsit.

[pampas]

i have an old water butt that has been cut in half, i have used one for my leeks today, and the other one for carrots, hope they work, i used bandq multi compost, thankyou everyone for the tips and advice

[Jillyreeves]

I love leeks, use loads making soup.

So its not too late to be sowing leeks, can I still get some it? I thought I had missed my chance.

[Eyren]

I'm going to be sowing some late leeks this weekend, mainly because my packet of "Bandit" from last year haven't germinated (seeds of the onion family don't keep particularly well). I think you have until mid/late April to get them going, but any later than that and you'll only get baby leeks, as they are slow-growing and need a few months of mild weather and daylight to put on some girth.