vegetable > LEEKS
IN THIS GUIDE
LEEK GUIDES
Companion PlantsGrowing From SeedHarvestingTransplantingWinter grow
Leeks are a mutual and popular wintertime vegetable , so you might like to learn how to get them in your garden .
They are not always the easiest veg to grow , and take a lot of time to mature to harvest – but in venom of the investment they demand in terms of time , space and effort , they can still be an excellent choice for home cultivator .
Babington’s Leek
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
Height0.3 – 0.7 M
Babington’s Leek
Spread0.1 – 0.2 M
PreferredMost prolific soil
MoistureMoist but well drained
pHAny
Leeks are a common garden veggie which is a appendage of the Allium [ AKA the ‘ Allium cepa ’ ] family .
Leeks are , of row , a veg with a pleasant , mild , Allium cepa - same predilection .
Most commonly , the ashen and pale green portions are wipe out .
But it is important to remember that the darker greenish folio at the top are eatable too , and these should also be consumed to avert waste.1Hunt , T. ( 2019a , May 11).Go green : do n’t countenance the tasty part of a leek go to wastefulness . The Guardian . remember March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/may/11/leek-tops-soup-recipe-food-waste-not-tom-hunt
Though ruffianly , they can be ripe to sauté or summate to a descent .
Aside from the flavor , another good thing about leeks is that they are a vegetable that is glean in the autumn or winter , when there are fewer fresh vegetable around .
” I love growing scallion , rise different varieties for harvesting between late autumn and early leaping , ” share Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .
“ My favorite is the heritage cultivar ‘ Giant Musselburgh ’ , which tastes great and support even in mild winters without bolting .
“ grotesque in winter soup and far tastier when home - grown . this variety is available in supermarket . ”
This means growing scallion can facilitate you in your efforts to exhaust nutrient grown in your garden all class round .
Leeks are not only utilitarian for their edible output – leek can also be very useful , like other alliums , as fellow traveler plant in your garden .
Their strong scent is say to help in repelling or confusing a mountain range of common garden blighter – though it must be said that some recent studies have proved inconclusive.2Baudry , X. , Doury , G. , Couty , A. , Fourdrain , Y. , Van Havermaet , R. , Lateur , M. , & Ameline , A. ( 2021 ) . Antagonist outcome of the leek Allium porrum as a fellow traveler plant on aphid master of ceremonies plant settlement . Scientific Reports,11(1).https://doi.org/10.1038 / s41598 - 021 - 83580 - 8
Common Varieties
Some dependable leek kind for the UK include :
However , as well as considering common F1 or heritage leek varieties are commonly grownin an annual veg plot , you could also debate mature perennial leeks , like Babington ’s Leek ( Alliumampeloprasumvar.babingtonii ) .
This is a perennial leek which is found in the state of nature in the British Isles .
It is a relative of the garden leek which is think to have predate the first appearance of the garden leek .
Typically , medulla are planted in bound and then left for the first twelvemonth – the plant is then harvested for its above - ground development each subsequent yr .
The bulb in the ground is left intact and the plant will regrow from the medulla .
flora left unharvested will flower , get bulbils , and drop these to create young plants ; clumps of these can mould in the right conditions .
How To Grow Leeks
Leeks are usually grown in the ground in a garden , but they can also do well in deep raised bed or large , inscrutable container .
Both typical garden Allium porrum and repeated leek will do best in full sunlight but can also be grown in fond shade .
The ground into which garden leeks are embed should be fertile , and robust in organic subject , while the soil should be damp but relatively liberal - draining .
You should also consider , when planning your companion planting schema , that crop rotation is still the best idea .
essay to let in genus Allium like scallion within a four - year crop rotation plan .
repeated leek work very well as companionsfor strawberry , and other perennial veggie – again for their strong scent which can confuse or repel a reach of pests .
Fruit trees like apple treeswill also benefit from having perennial Allium porrum and other perennial alliums planted in their guilds , since the repeated alliums help in repelling pest and may also help oneself prevent apple scab and other fungal issues .
Leeks are a vegetable that takes a long metre to suppurate .
If you want to enjoy eating leeks from your garden in winter , then you call for to sow the come in late winter or other spring .
leek are unremarkably inseminate in the UK between February ( indoors ) and April .
Seeour sowing guidefor more information .
Leek Plant Care
like for leeks is relatively soft and straightforward .
Simply body of water during wry flow , and add more mulch over metre , or world up , to encourage the prow to form longer white section .
Make trusted that the mulch remains in place over the summertime , and remove any weeds which appear between the plants , since leeks will not be very tolerant of any competition .
There are however sealed problems commonly encountered by those develop leeks in their gardens .
One common return is leek rust fungus , a fungal infection .
relieve oneself certain that the leeks are not overcrowded and avoid watering from above to slim the chances that fungous problems like this will take hold .
A small rusting attack will not down your leeks , but a more serious attack could reduce your yield .
This disease is difficult to wipe out from the soil once it arrives , so practice harvest rotation and avoid growing any member of the genus Allium family in the same bed for the next three years .
Crop rotation and practiced garden hygienics is also of the essence in areas where onion snowy rot is a problem .
This is another fungal infection which can attack leeks .
Take guardianship not to spread soil or plant material from orbit that have this grime - turn out fungus to other parts of your garden or elsewhere .
