Rust on leeks

I've got rusty leeks..... any sugestions?

( call a plumber? )

 

Quercus

In my last garden, I used to get rust on my leeks most years. Luckily, it was always a light attack and late in the season. By then, the leeks were big enough to withstand it and the inner core was perfectly good to eat at harvesting. Somebody else may be able to recommend a fungicide but I never fancied using one on my veg.

I used to keep a close eye on my leeks and if a particular leaf got very rusty, I'd trim it off quickly. I also gave my leeks a regular feed to boost them up as the season wore on. I destroyed all rusty foliage, of course, and didn't put any in the compost bin. But however good my garden hygiene and crop rotation were, I'm afraid I never got rid of the rust. It came back most years.

Touch wood, my new garden doesn't seem afflictd by it....yet.

 

There are rust resistant varieties you could try next year - Porvite and Bandit are two. I used to get rust more or less every year but changed to the two I've mentioned. I also started sowing later as I reckoned that earlier sown longer standing crops tended to suffer more from rust than later sown ones.

 

I always get this sooner or later, but as mentioned, surprisingly it doesn't seem to matter much. They go through a phase of looking awful, then carry on regardless.

 

Thanks all!

I'm getting the message not to worry about it... I tidied the worst affected leaves... and will keep an eye on it!

 

I never tasted the difference rusty and green leeks so dont worry about it too much.

Oh funny plummer joke, made me giggle thanks.