The leeks in the vegetable garden, which were transplanted from the nursery bed
on 15 July, have established well.
leek-bed-23august
leek-23August
The leeks are hoed before the weeds are too big.
hoeing-leeks
The leeks in the vegetable garden will provide fresh veg throughout the winter.
The main points to consider when choosing which varieties of leeks to
grow are:
* size
* days to maturity
* winter hardiness
*Short season leek varieties tend to be
* smaller
* less winter hardy
A popular short season leek is King Richard. It is
* very early
* high yielding
* extra long, with a slim stalk
* mild flavoured
* easy as it does not need earthing up
* OK till Christmas
*Long season leeks
* may be harvested through the winter
* are cold hardy
* develop fatter stalks
Common long season varieties include:
* Autumn Giant
long season of production, stands cold, frosty weather, high yields, medium stems
leek-autumn-giant
* Autumn Mammoth
matures in late autumn, high yielding leek, thick stems, good resistance to rust
* Pandora
productive, long season, good tolerance of leek rust
Mature-leek-Pandora
* Musselburg
very winter hardy, mid season, lasts right through winter, good length
Baby/mini leeks are used for salad, stir-fries, soups and stews.
Children like them because they are pretty, mild and different.
To grow baby/mini leeks:
* space close together in the row
* sow in a small garden, an allotment, or in containers on the patio
* liquid feed weekly if grown in a container
* harvest 16–20 weeks after sowing, when still young,tender and full
of flavour
* use immediatley, as mini veg do not store well
* make successive sowings throughout the growing season for a
continual supply.
Baby/Mini Leek Varieties
* *King Richard*
A very early, high yielding, mild flavoured leek with extra long,
slim stalks
* *Swiss Giant Evita* A fast-growing, high-yielding variety with long straight shanks
* *Baby Jolant* A vigorous, very early cropping variety giving high density stems
with a mild flavour
Leek rust (/Puccinia porri, or Puccinia allii/) is uncommon, but a
severe attack will ruin the crop. Mild symptoms do not render the crop
inedible. Leek rust is different from the rust that infects chives and
onions.
Appearance of leek rust:
* orange spots & blotches appear on the surface of the leaf
Causes of leek rust:
* crowded plants
* high humidity
* excessive soil nitrogen
* insufficient soil potassium
* poor garden hygiene – all plant debris must be removed from the
beds so that the fungus has nowhere to hide.
Treatment of leek rust
* remove and burn diseased leaves
* there is no chemical treatment available to use in the kitchen garden
Prevention of leek rust
* do not plant the leeks too close
* rotate crops – do not grow leeks where leeks & onions were grown
the previous year
* apply a potassium rich fertiliser (such as tomato feed)
* grow disease resistant varieties
* practise good garden hygiene, and keep the vegetable garden tidy
Mature-leek-Pandora
The leek is a symbol of Wales, and is eaten by the Welsh on St David’s Day, which
is on 1st March 2008. St David is the patron saint of Wales.History has
it, that the Welsh fought a battle against Saxon invaders, in a leek
field in 640 A.D.. The Welsh wore leeks in their helmets to identify
themselves in the battle.
Mature-leek-Pandora
The early leeks, Pandora, have been ready to harvest since the start of October.
The leeks are lifted as and when required. The vegetable gardener is
always tempted to leave them to grow into a bigger specimen, but if you
do not start to lift them when they are small, the last ones to be
lifted are too big, and have lost their flavour. Leeks have a better &
stronger flavour when they are small.
mature-Pandora-leek
The leeks were transplanted on July 6th. This early variety, Pandora, matures quickly, and were ready 90 days after transplanting.
Pandora is a productive, late summer to early autumn leek, with a good
tolerance of Leek Rust. The leeks have long, pure white, quality stems
with dark green upright foliage.
The leeks are lifted by placing a fork under the roots. The roots hold
on tightly and the stem easily snaps off, if a fork is not used to
loosen the roots.
In the vegetable garden, leeks can be lifted gently and carefully to
avoid getting soil in between the leaves. It is difficult on sandy soils
to avoid contamination with soil, and no-one likes the gritty texture of
sand in cooked leeks. To avoid this, the leeks can be placed upside down
in a bucket of water. The sand will then drop out.
The different leek varieties give a spread of harvest.
Pandora are a long season variety, so will stay in the ground for a few
months, but they are getting larger and will soon loose their flavour.
The Musselburg leeks are a mid-season variety and are ready to eat now.
Leeks are a reliable vegetable and will stay in the ground throughout
the winter, producing vegetables for the kitchen until April.
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