Leek 101 Required

[VJay]

You should be able to get about 100 leeks in a space the size of a medium dinner plate; they can be grown really close together until they go into their final positions when the summer crops have all been harvested.

There is no need for them to be in a greenhouse at this time of year! You could pop them in a bucket or big pot for now if you haven't got space.

Would they do well in their final pots in a greenhouse from August/sept?

[nuttyrockeress]

Thanks. I have put some in the garden but haven't much room for the rest. Asda buckets it is then

[zazen999]

Would they do well in their final pots in a greenhouse from August/sept?

I should imagine so, but they do best in the frozen outdoors...but if you haven't got any outdoors then I'm sure pots in a greenhouse would do. They can get a bit mouldy in a greenhouse so you need to keep the air flow through.

[VJay]

good stuff.

[Frana]

Have just planted out 50 leeks which were somewhat thinner than the recommended pencil thickness. They have been in the ground for about a week now and seem to have taken brilliantly - alll standing to attention after a little lie down when I watered them in!

Crossing fingers that they continue to do well (seemed to last year!).

[Rhona]

Mine are in a 12" by 12" square tub, permanently outside. I have about 20 in that space. All look great but will get more or less ignored apart from watering until my kitchen garden bed is cleared for winter stuff.

[rustylady]

Mine have been moved from their celltrays into a large plastic pot till there's room for them on the lottie. Stood in the garden, they really are better off outside instead of in a greenhouse.

[solway cropper]

Like the others have said, a greenhouse in summer is no place for leeks. Bung em outside.

However, I would grow some in containers or flower buckets to be brought into the greenhouse in case we have another winter like the last one. If I hadn't done that I'd have had no leeks for Christmas dinner as the ground was set like concrete

[chilliking]

quick update - they were planted in 1" cells (many to each cell). as advised by others in this thread i planted them in a random bit of space in the garden about 3-4 weeks ago. i just removed each clump from each cell and planted the clumps as they are a few inches apart. they seem to be doing really well and have grown a fiar bit.

quick question - when they reach pencil thickness (i guess in late summer) and i dib them into their final resting places how far apart should they be? also will they require sun or shade or again are they not fussy?

[zazen999]

I would usually say 4-6 inches or there abouts but after my trip to a self sufficient Amish community, they were harvesting them and they had grown side by side packet in to the rafters so I am not altogether sure it matters.

The thing with leeks is that they stay in the ground over winter, so if you have 100 and 100 feet, you may as well plant them 1 foot apart! I am not convinced it really matters, as long as they are further apart than their final size that you want them to be.