Planting Leeks - 6" or 9"?

[Farmer_Gyles]

Some of my leeks are just reaching the thickness of a pencil, so I'm transplanting them .... they are musselburgh and bandit ....
I've seen info saying to plant them 6" apart, other info saying 9" apart
Which do you think I should go for? And why??

This is the best I've ever done with leeks!

[Aberdeenplotter]

easy answer, depends on how big you want them. If you want them big, give them more space

[Cue the Toms]

As above I reckon. Mine are about 5" apart.

Mine have done really well since I planted them out even though they were quite a bit smaller than pencil thickness! I dibbed and watered them in as recommended and recently used spent toilet rolls to hopefully blanch their stems. All going very well so far.

Chris

[Farmer_Gyles]

well i've got plenty to experiment with!
if they're pencil thickness now, will they grow into full sized leeks over the winter?

i want to get as much food as possible from the garden .... we've had a poor summer so not much veg frozen, so we'll probably pick some early in the winter .... is it worth going for 4in apart and thinning every other one? will that stop the ones we leave growing to full size?

88 musselburgh planted out now, 6in apart ....
80+ bandits to go in next week, will probably go for 9in apart
and another 100+ of bandit and autumn giant (i think that's what they're called) to plant after that ...

[Jamesy_uk]

Mine are 6" and were going great guns until the Leek moth larvae appeared ;/ most all of my 100 leeks are under attack and I am now debating the cut down to soil level and see if they regrow method ;/

[binley100]

Mine are about 6" apart cos I don't like fat ones......They are also currently under fleece until the leaf miner has fecked off..........

[Vince G]

Got a couple that have bolted - is that normal for this time of year? Don't remember it happening before..........

[veggiechicken]

Got a couple that have bolted - is that normal for this time of year? Don't remember it happening before..........

Try this Vince http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...eks_68013.html

[Kestrel]

I am now debating the cut down to soil level and see if they regrow method ;/

Got this little beggar too, Jamesy. I've had a few losses in last couple of years but this is the first major attack. It did seem drastic but I bit the bullet and did the "cutting to a stump" a couple of weeks ago and they are now growing back strongly, maybe more strongly than before. Quite surprising, really, but I had read that it would help.

Anyway, just one more thing to fleece/net next year. The plot will soon look like a giant model of my Granny's head and her ever present hair-net.

[Farmer_Gyles]

if i dump fleece over my leeks, i'll squash and snap them all ..... won't i?
the biggest ones are pencil thickness now ....
i've got no chance of building a frame or anything over them right now ....

[zazen999]

if i dump fleece over my leeks, i'll squash and snap them all ..... won't i?
the biggest ones are pencil thickness now ....
i've got no chance of building a frame or anything over them right now ....

I use canes with yogurt pots over the top, and bung a net curtain [from Ikea - see other post] over the top. It really isn't worth leaving even for a day or two as they get straight in there. You can see if you have them - the leaves look like they have been dragged through a hedge backwards [all torn up and ragged].

[PyreneesPlot]

Mine go in at about 12cm apart - the bed is 1.5m wide and I put in 10 per row. Two years ago they were no bigger than a large darning needle when they went in the ground but they were still plenty big enough.
I do plant out in June, though.

[Wren]

I don't find that it makes much difference , unless you are wanting to grow huge ones. For regular decent size leeks either will do. I have quite a bit o space so I average about 9 inches apart but I have done less an got the same result . Go with what space you have available .

[Pinfold Plotter]

I plant mine 3-4" apart and then take every other one as a baby leek. I've been picking them since the beginning of August this year. I'm going to regret typing this but mine haven't been bothered by leaf miner this year so they are exposed to the elements and have been romping away in the last few weeks.

[Farmer_Gyles]

I do plant out in June, though.

my plan was to plant out when the maincrop spuds came up .... i was hoping to lift them several weeks ago, but no chance of that with the weather we've had ....

I plant mine 3-4" apart and then take every other one as a baby leek. I've been picking them since the beginning of August this year.

i'm thinking of doing that .... but will that slow the growth of the ones that are left? and is it too late to do it? it's late september now, autumn is here, and my leeks are (at best) the thickness of a pencil ....