Leeks in toilet rolls

[New2it]

As a complete beginner to this caper and having read a tip from Nog in the March magazine, I now have a load of toilet roll tubes with leeks growing inside. I have never seen a leek in the 'early stages' before, and faced with a load of tubes with skinny bits of green poking out the tops, I am now not sure what to do! Do I top up the tubes while they are in the greenhouse? Do I have to wait for them to thicken out first? Advice please....

[Dobby]

Id wate till they are about pencil thick then plant them out

[Paulottie]

Welcome to the vine-New2it. Seems like a load of hasstle to grow leeks in bogrolls to me- that's normally reservered for stuff that hates root disturbance (like sweetcorn) but Dobbies' spot on wait till they are pencil thick. You might sow some more tho 3" pot (or seedbed) and space them after a few weeks into a seed tray 32 per tray and again plant out in julyish. The earthing up bit is done once they are in the bed.

[rustylady]

I've never started leeks in toilet roll tubes, though I do use them for peas, beans ets. Anything that has long roots. My leeks I usually start in 3 and a half inch pots, prick out into either trays or very small individual cells - transplant into permanent quarters when about pencil thick as Dobby says. When you transplant onto the lottie you need to make holes with a large dibber ( I use a broken fork handle), drop the leek plantlets in and water. Leave the holes to fill up on their own, either with loose soil or (hopefully) thickening leek stems.

[eddie]

have got my leeks out in there growing site but used toilet rolls over them to stop cats digging them up but looks like a good bet leeks seem to be thriving and looking for the light another bounus i can see is when they get earthed up they wont get to much soil in top leaves [i hope ]followed geordies instrutions hope for good crop this year ,,thanks mate

[wellie]

Hi there New2it...
Your very first posting! It's interesting that you've brought this subject up. If your leeks are looking healthy, just keep them growing steadily, and don't top up the tubes until you've got them planted in the ground, when they're about the thickness of a pencil. I'm feedling mine a quarter-strength Nitrogen liquid feed at the minute to help them along a bit.

I'm not growing my leek seedlings IN loo rolls, but have been recently pondering using loo rolls/kitchen towel rolls in exactly the same manner as eddie has just described.... (great minds think alike eddie? or fools never differ?!)

What I normally do is to plant my leek seedlings out into the ground using a Bulb Planter, which takes a core of soil out. I pop my leek seedling into the hole, water it in, and then leave it. This year I wanted to try 'blanching' the leeks, to get a longer/whiter stem, and I cannot stand 'gritty' leeks, so had thought about putting loo rolls/kitchen rolls in the hole around the leek, but am worried that the cardboard, as it absorbs moisture, and starts to deteriorate, may introduce some kind of rot/mould to the leek itself? My other idea, instead of loo/kitchen roll, was to employ the same idea, but with 'topped & tailed' water or pop bottles.....
It's the lack of air-flow to the plant that's causing me concern.
What does anyone else think?

[wellie]

Lesley,
Did Geordie think it a not-so-great idea too then? (And thanks for correcting my spelling Miss!)
I forgot to say, the 'topped & tailed' water/pop bottle idea, I was going to build the soil up around them to blanche the stems, but I guess you'd guessed that one everyone?

Didn't Victorian Kitchen gardeners use land drain pipes to blanche leeks in days gone by? In which case, a porous solution is needed.....

[Paulottie]

Blanching leeks

Hi, I've been thinking about this blanching tube thing. What about old caulk gun tubes? you could split them allowing them to be clipped on from side avoiding leaf threading problem and they would be tight/expansive enough although you might need to double up for a monster leek. I'm going to get a painter to save them for me and try- not porous tho.

Aren't those 'Bulgarian giant' leeks sort of self blanching?

I can't seem to attach a photo of celery style trench i've just finished as file exceeds limits. The draw back to this method is getting food and water to the roots once you've earthed up. You can use downpipes, but I am going to try a seep hose with in line feeder. You'll just have to wait till I publish my blog