All year Alliums Challenge 2016/17

[veggiechicken]

I have three cornered leek, sending up flower buds, elephant garlic, other garlic planted and waiting to be planted out (as I bought lots for 10p a packet in the GC), also about 300 autumn onion sets (again 10p a packet) and planted late, Babington leeks popping up, young leeks waiting to plant out, overwintered leeks being picked to eat, a million tiny bunching onions, Welsh onions and I can't remember what else

[Jay-ell]

So hows the harvesting going then? Or are you starting your year later on?

[Cadalot]

The space saver greenhouse is full of onions, leeks being sown today, first batch of spring onions in vending machine cups this week, then at two week intervals, Onion weed membrane produced and first onion bed finished, second and the tree and walking onion beds to get done before the end of the month, as they are growing too tall in the greenhouse.

[Jay-ell]

On Sunday )I think) I sowed out a row of Giant Russian Welsh Onions and a row of Russian Perennial Leeks (which I suspect to be allium nutans aka Siberian Chives)

Today I've sown some Bulgarian Giant Leeks, Giant Winter Leeks and Many Flowered Garlic (which may (or may no) be a type of perennial leek) into the propagator.

This week still going on with the leek harvest - one or two at a time to eek them out. Planted out a batch of leeklets on Sunday as well, or was it Saturday.

[Cadalot]

See Alans Allotment: In My Seed Box - Spring Onions

[Snoop Puss]

We're still harvesting leeks, too. They look rough on the outside, but still tender and delicious inside. Some leeks I put out very late summer (probably early autumn if I'm honest), just to do something with them, have started to fatten up. Might actually get a harvest off them!

Will be sowing our shallots this week and hoping they survive in a cold frame. Temps still well below zero at night.

[Jay-ell]

The Bulgarian Leeks are growing on strong on the windowsill along with a tray of Giant Winter Leeks, or is that Winter Giant Leeks - can't quite remember.

Babingtons are growing nicely - one of which I think is nearly ready for harvest (although I still have the annual leeks to finish off - and I've also got the Elephant Garlic planted as leeks to think about)

My Few Flowered Leek has some sweet little flowers on it


The Three Cornered Leek is chucking out flowers like there's no tomorrow. I've had a problem convincing my mother about edible flowers - I've pointed out the main flavouring of turkish delight and she's snacked on nasturtium but still not convinced. I gave her a couple of flowers from the few flowered leeks - she's planning omelettes and salads. Mild allium with a sweetness followed by a stronger but not unpleasant aftertaste - she loved it.

Harvested a couple of more leeks - the regular leek reserve is going down and gradually creeping towards the elephant garlic I planted as a leek. I might have a problem harvesting them as a leek though as I've got my mother into roast elephant garlic and I may be disinherited if I dig them up.

So far the sandleeks have been growing prone and each new leaf has hugged the ground creating a star pattern - they're now starting to get a little height.

I have wild garlic - all one and a half leaves worth. It would have been 2 leaves but I wasn't sure and had to crunch a bit to check - have I said this already in this thread, I know I've mentioned it in another thread but I get confused at times.

Allium Molly is popping up leaves - these are edible garlics with yellow flowers, unusual in alliums. Unfortunately I'm going to have to hack down a brassica to give it light - however the brassica is bolting so no problem (ok, a problem as it is supposed to be perennial but I have 14 plants and need to thin them down to leave room for everything else)

I had some potato onions which are starting to poke their heads up (I sowed them in autumn) - but they're in the the wrong place so I've moved them.

And I've planted a couple of MFBs with 20+ shallots in each - the idea is to get small shallots this year so I get large shallots next year.


I'll leave it at that for now, except to say that three months in and the alliums are exploding

[Cadalot]

The walking Onion bed and onions went in last Sunday along with a wind and fox barrier now Alans Allotment: Tree - Walking Onion Bed One

I need to get the second one in place for the Air onions that are getting to large for the greenhouse

[Jay-ell]

Sowed some Babington Leeks seeds and my Allium Polyanthum seedlings are starting to come through MORE perennial leeks.

Harvested more leeks this week as well as Three Cornered leek flowers for my cheese sandwiches

Really tempted to attack the Babington next week - I don't have VCs patience

[veggiechicken]

Then attack it, dear Jay-ell, Attack it
My clump of 3 cornered leek is spreading rapidly. Its so pretty I don't have the heart to dead head it although my other garden is completely overrun by it. Makes a good spring onion substitute if you pull up the bulbs.

[Jay-ell]

Deadhead the three cornered leeks? Take the fresh flowers they are a lovely sweet chive/garlic flavour.

There's loads in my pot and I'm going to start pulling the whole plant to leave more space - do they go inedible once they've thrown up a flower stalk?

[veggiechicken]

I don't know about them becoming inedible as I had so many there were always some babies to eat.

[Jay-ell]

You know I've been using the leaves as a chives substitute all winter and I've been using the flowers in sandwiches but I hadn't pulled up an entire plant yet.

Just pulled up a couple in flower and sautéed them in a little butter using everything from the bulb to the flowers. I had thought that, like regular leeks, the flower stem would mean the leek would develop a woodyness and be inedible but it was all georgeous - the flower stalk and scape were really succulent - best scape of any allium I've tried so far.

[veggiechicken]

They're really versatile and succulent at a time when there aren't that many fresh greens around. I prefer them to wild garlic.

[Jay-ell]

It's definitely a keeper - although it'll stay in containers. The one I'm growing in is chock a block now - I reckon come summer I'm going to dig up the bulbs, replant the small ones in autumn and store the larger ones in oil to see how that goes.