Kitchen Garden Forum

Almost all our leeks (Musselburgh and Oarsman) have bolted this year. As I usually use them for soups in any case, I have now dug them up and frozen the best parts, but quite a few had also gone soft. I wonder if it was last year's weather or whether I planted them too early (no earlier than my usual dates). Anybody else had problems with leeks?

Dear Monika, i have exactly the same problem here, they are either going to seed or flopping over where they are rotting. I'm sure it's the combination of the weather being wet and very mild. I still have a couple of hundred left, so i better start giving them away, before there are no good ones left.

Same here Monica!

The ones I grew as usual like every other year are going floppy and rotting but still salvageable. However I have 2 smaller beds of rescued ones given to me by a neighbour who through family events sowed late, so they went in about 6 weeks or more later than mine (and were well tiny even then), and they are dong fine. I thought I'd give them a go & maybe get some mini leeks from them but they are growing well & standing well.

Westi

I was really late at getting mine in the ground this year and they are doing ok at the moment, although won't be winning any largest leek competition.

I tried two methods to start them off. The first was individually in separate pods. The second was in one pot (grew a bit like chives), and then separated them when planting out and snipping the tops off - they did this on Beachgrove gardens so thought I'd give it a go.
The leeks are the same size and quality. So, this year I'll repeat the Beachgrove method as took up less space, less time consuming and used less compost.

Try Alan's linguini with leek and lemon - it's my current favourite pasta recipe. Low in fat, tatstes great and costs very little to make especially if you grow your own leeks.

Alan is a man of many talents and a good laugh too.....

Mine have learned how to swim but holding their own

My leeks have grown very tall and then fallen over and quite a few have got flower buds on. They haven't gone woody though, so are tender enough to cook the whole plant.

Hi Pawty

I just grow mine altogether in a fairly large deep pot which just sit on the patio so it gets regular watering. I snip tops & a fair amount of the root off as well when I plant. Always works for me. They are around when you have so much else wanting space as develop quite slowly.

Unfortunately I broke my hole dibber this year - well it was just an broken old wooden spade handle but meant no bending & I got pretty good at dropping the leeks in the holes standing up as well. Might prowl around some of the vacant lots to see if I can find another, as I am looking after my new tools a lot better than I used to so haven't one likely to break for a while. Well fingers crossed!

Westi

robo wrote:Mine have learned how to swim but holding their own

With the amount of rain still tumbling down you might need to give them underwater diving lessons as well Robo! If you grow as many as me that's an awful lot of mini air tanks, flippers & masks!

Westi

You are not joking Westi it's been none stop all day again today still raining now, I went down the plot around elevenish this morning to pull some sprouts and parsnips the chickens are sheltering under a small roof I've made for them they did not look happy they have started laying less than usual which is not good, I originally planted around 120 leeks then another 20 a month later they are surviving I've only had one seed head up to date

I spoke too soon..... I went to the allotment today and after yesterday's rain, wind and hale they look a bit like I did on New Year's Eve...

Monika. Mine have been a disaster too, bolting and gone all squashy. I ended up pulling up what could be rescued to use for soup. I have about a dozen mich smaller leeks left sown from a free Kitchen Garden packet (Not Musselburgh my usual variety ) which I've grown as a test, sown and planted much later than the others) which seem to be fine but Musselburgh have really let me down this year. I think it was just too wet for them. They developed rust then subsequently keeled over fairly quickly.

At least I won,t have one usual problem this spring, i.e. the leeks are still occupying space I need for planting / sowing other spring seeds !

Yes, Primrose, when I dug up the last leeks last week, I also realised that the bed was then free to cultivate for this year's crop which is often a problem when the leeks still hang on until well into spring. Well, it's an ill wind ......

My leeks are not doing too badly considering - last year I had a lot of soft or rotten ones, due, I think, to leek moth or miner. This time I've kept the enviromesh netting over right up until now (and typing this has just reminded me that I must get it off before we get snow!!!), and there's far less sign of damage this year from these pests although a few are now starting to look a bit floppy and I've just picked the first one that was going to seed. Interestingly, a single row of the same variety that I sowed much later than all the rest looks absolutely perfect.

My carrots, however, have been terrible this year. Two thirds of them have split, both the early varieties and the later autumn/winter varieties. Those that didn't split were great though, helping me to win the veg section of the village show in September, so I shouldn't complain

Touch wood there are no signs of any of my Leeks bolting and they were planted before I went on my travels and had to fend for themselves like most of my plants this year.
Shame about your carrots Mouse as this year commercially they have probably been the finest year ever.
If anything my own carrots are too large and I am struggling with Autumn King eating only one third of a carrot at a sitting.
They again were sown and left to fend for themselves after the first thinning but covered with anti whitefly mesh.
I wish you lived just a little closer and we could share.
JB.