Kitchen Garden Forum

How big should leek seedlings be at this point? I planted them beginning of Jan and they’re still tiny little things but quite tall, about 3inches. At what point should they start fattening out a little?

Hi Myrkk!

Mine are growing well but skinny as I would expect & about the same height as yours. Their bed is not ready yet so won't be planted out until next month but they will still be skinny but hopefully a few inches taller! What is important is their root growth which is quite substantial considering their stem size, often needing a trim to fit into the bottom of the hole, so I expect that is their focus during this time. They soon take off & thicken up when it is warmer though.

I have never sown them that early, Myrkk, but i’m wondering if it’s low light levels that are making them on the tall side…..hopefully now the days are getting longer, they will fatten up a little.

I had them with a light OH to combat the low light levels. They’re also in root trainers so hopefully their root systems are doing well.

An article I saw on the web says they thicken up better with a bit of wind so I put them outside for a bit today to get some wind through their hair so to speak.

Good to know yours are the same Westi