Leeks are a very tasty winter vegetable ideal for use in stews and soups to name just a couple of ideas. Although leeks are easy to grow they do require attention whilst they are growing. They can also be grown early in the year to produce a miniature size crop for the summer months.

Leeks like a sunny, sheltered position with a fertile and well-drained soil. If you can, start preparing the site in the autumn or winter before planting the leeks out by giving it a good digging over, removing any weeds and adding lots of nutrient rich garden compost or well-rotted manure. If your soil is clay, add in some horticultural sand to help with drainage.

A seedbed will also need to be prepared at the same time if you intend to grow your leeks from seed for a later sowing. Give the area a good raking over, removing any large stones or lumps of soil and add some fertiliser to the seedbed roughly a week before you plan to sow your seeds.

Preparing your seedbed and final planting area well and adding lots of nutrients to the soil will pay dividends by giving you leeks that are full of flavour and have long shanks, as leeks are heavy feeders.

HOW TO SOW LEEK SEEDS

If you would like a summer crop of small baby leeks then seeds should be sown in either late January to early February. Alternatively, for a winter crop with lots of flavour, seeds should be sown in the spring.

For the early crop sow seeds in either pots or trays filled with multipurpose compost, spacing them roughly 1cm apart, then sieve some more compost over the top of them so that they are covered to a depth of about 1cm. Using the bottom of a pot, tap the soil down gently, water the tray and then place in an unheated propagator and keep in a greenhouse or cold frame. As soon as the seedlings have germinated, remove the seed trays from the propagator and once they have all appeared, thin to leave a space of 2cm between each seedling.

For a winter crop, sow outside in the earlier prepared seedbed, in either early or mid-spring when the soil has started to warm up. Make drills using a hoe or garden cane of 1cm deep and with a spacing of 15cm between the drills. Sow the seeds thinly with a spacing between the seeds of about 1-2cm then cover with sieved soil. Using a watering can with a fine rose, water the rows and continue to keep the seedbed moist, not allowing it to dry out. After about two or three weeks your seeds should have germinated.

HOW TO GROW YOUR LEEKS

Once the leeks are about the same thickness as a pencil and roughly 22cm in height, they will be ready for transplanting to their final plot.

Seedlings grown in a greenhouse or cold frame will be ready for transplanting in about April and for those grown in a seedbed, late June or July will be the time for transplanting. Seedlings grown in a greenhouse or cold frame will need to be hardened off for about ten to fourteen days before transplanting by placing the trays outdoors, increasing the length of time they spend outside over time, alternatively open up the cold frame, gradually lengthening the time it stays open.

Make 15cm holes using a dibber at about 40cm apart and with roughly 15-22cm between the rows. Uprooting seedlings is quite stressful for them so to aid their recovery and to also reduce water loss from the seedlings, their leaf growth will need to be reduced by roughly a quarter.

Once they have all been popped into their holes, fill each hole to the top with water and then leave them. There is no need to fill the holes with soil as when the water starts to drain down it will also bring down soil with it which will then cover the roots. The rest of the hole will gradually fill each time it rains and every time you hoe the weeds. Planting the seedlings this way increases the size of the white shank giving you a larger leek.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR LEEKS

Provided you planted the leeks in a well prepared and fertile soil they should be fine, otherwise soon after transplanting and to give them a boost, give them a liquid feed.

Your leeks will need to be kept well watered during any dry spells and regularly weeded between the rows to keep the area weed free. Weeding is best done by hand or by using a hoe, provided you are careful not to slice the tender plants.

If you wish to increase the length of the white stem or shank, from roughly the middle of August to October they can be earthed up. Using a hoe draw dry soil up against the shank in stages adding roughly 4-5cm of soil each time. Care will need to be taken not to get any dirt or earth in between the leaves otherwise the leeks will end up with a gritty texture.

HOW TO HARVEST YOUR LEEKS

If you have sown early leeks, then they will be ready for harvesting as early as July giving you some lovely baby sized leeks. If you have planted lots they can be left to continue growing and harvested when they are bigger.

For leeks that were sown during the spring, lifting can start from October. Lift when they have reached the size you require, starting with the larger ones and leaving smaller ones to carry on growing. The leeks will continue growing throughout the winter and can be left happily in the ground until the spring.

Carefully remove the leeks using a fork to ensure that they are lifted in one piece and never try and pull them out of the ground with your hands as they can easily snap.

LEEK RUST

Leeks are very hardy and do not suffer from much in the way of pests or diseases but during long periods of wet or damp weather they may be attacked by leek rust.

Leek rust is a fungal disease which appears as bright yellow spots on the leaves and although a mild attack will not affect the plant, a serious attack can affect crop yield and make the leaves shrivel.

Unfortunately there is no control once the infection strikes and all affected plant material should be disposed of. Plants from the allium family, for example onions, garlic, leeks and allium flowers should not be grown on a site infected with leek rust for at least three years.

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