Leeks - Musselburgh

Musselburgh are good though can be prone to rust. I used to grow them but have moved to Porvite F1 as it is more rust resistant. But if Musselburgh is what you've got then go with it.
The way I grow them is to sow in deep trays (polystyrene boxes) in mid March and grow until about 5" or 6" tall. Then I plant into holes I've made about 9" deep with an old spade shaft and water them in. Watering in washes soil over the roots and planting in a hole ensures blanching as the hole fills with soil during growth. If the roots are long I usually trim off the leggy bits before planting.
I save myself a lot of time and trouble weeding by planting through either black plastic or weed supressing membrane that I've cut holes in at the right spacing.

 

Got 2 pots of them just at the Crook stage now. I find it best to grow them undercover & plant out later rather than direct sow.

Hold on a min, off to get a link............................................

 

waiting............

 

Ere we go,

http://gardenerscornermagazine.blogspot.co.uk/2011_06_01_archive.html

 

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Cor an author

Good article Ziggy

 

Cheers Dave

 

I've got Leek Musselburgh growing indoors at the moment. Planted 500 seeds in 2 seed trays two weeks ago. Made a hole with the blunt end of a pencil 3cm apart, rows 4cm apart and 0.5cm deep. Dropping 4-5 seeds in each hole. After two weeks i've got some tiny tiny tiny shoots coming through.

I'll be waiting until they're about 6" also, when they're a bit more handle-able.

I do think Leeks seem to be the more confusion veg to grow.

 

Try to plant them near your carrots if poss!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants

 

Yes, the tips are just below the surface when planted. The 9" I said is probably nearer 7" though it's not critical. When I water them in the soil gets washed over just the roots, the hole itself slowly fills through the next few months and has the effect of "earthing up" and blanching.

 

Thanks nFrost for the planting with carrots, I've got a few Musselburgh seed left, which I'll sow and plant but this years choice will be Winter Giant, trying to find the best variety for my location.......... could take several years?

 

MY sowing date for leeks is Mid March. I think too early and they can bolt, but they are a long season crop so don't delay and be late.

I grow Musselburgh and also an F1 variety. I find the F1 variety makes "fatter" Leeks, my Musselburgh are skinny - but tasty

I also do as DaveW has described.

I use a polystyrene "fish" box, about 9" deep. I painstakingly sow the seeds individually about 1/2" apart with 1" between the rows. That way they are not overcrowded (which broadcasting the seed would be likely to cause) once they have germinated; I think a bit of faff hand-spacing the seeds saves time later on, and they can stay in the box until June or so for planting out (ideally they will reach Pencil thickness by then, but although that's the off-quoted maxim most peoples' only get to "biro refill thickness" !!)

When ready to plant out I tip the whole tray out, work my fingers in from the bottom to break up the compost and separate the roots, and when I have done that, and shaken as much off as possible, if they still won't separate I shake them in a bucket of water which does the trick!

Then I use by dibber to make a deep hole (the depth of planting is what gives you the length of white blanched "shank"), drop them in, and then water the hole from a watering can to get water at the roots, so they re-root well, and to wash some soil down to the roots too (but the hole remains predominately "open")

Some people cut the roots, and the leaves. Some side-by-side tests were done and no difference found. I think that provided the roots will easy go into the hole you have made with your dibber then cutting them off just puts the plant back a bit. If the roots won't go down the hole easily then that might be a reason to trim them. If the leaves are touching the ground, and might rot, that might be a reason to trim the tops. I've never had either problem!

 

Better to plant them in appropriate "plot" for crop rotation IMHO.

Leeks, Onions, Garlic et all will not deter 100% of the Carrot fly, and even if you only get a few they will wreak havoc with your Carrots - net the carrots with Enviromesh to keep the Carrot Fly off

 

FC, just to give you another option.

I grow Musselburgh every year, with satisfactory results, by sowing them outside.
I sow them into a well prepared seed bed around early to mid April (as conditions and weather dictate).
Once the young plants have reached roughly the thickness of a pencil (about 4 to 6 weeks later) I transplant them into holes made (as already described by Dave) using an old spade shaft as a 'dibber' into holes about 9 inches deep.
They are then watered in, leaving the hole open, apart from a little soil in the bottom to bury the roots.