Kitchen Garden Forum

Looking through the febuary KG on page 100 there is leeks with some sort of foil around them.

Is this an alternative method to earthing up?

Is it better than earthing up?

What can be used to do this, in the KG picture it looks like foil insulation material can pipes ect be used.

Be intrested to hear about this as we are just finishing off last years leeks (first time we had grown them) but very muddy from earthing up. Now planning this years leeks .

Thanks,

Some leeks grow longer without earthing up and I don't bother.for eating leeks . However for show leeks I use black damp coursing plastic obtained from builders merchants.

We don't earth up our leeks either - just plant them in a deepish hole to start with and they are always fine for eatiing. Not bothered about how showy they look.

Hi. I don't earth up our leeks. I use an old spade shaft, sharpened at the end, as a dibber and put the leeks in an 8 inch deep hole. I don't have any problems and have good sized, tasty, leeks. Depending on the variety, I end up with good long white shafts which are ideal for my needs, which are culinary and not for showing. We are still harvesting last years crop, which has stood well and survived all the weather has thrown at them!
Cheers.

We have a similar dibber and if the soil is too dry to dib effecively we water it wll first

Hi Elaine and Glallotments,
I do earth-up my Leeks after a fashion. I fetch out a 4" to 6" V trench and then use the dibber to 6" pop in the Leek and water in very carefully.
As the Leeks grow the hole fills in and then I wait until the clear shank is well above the soil then bit by bit I fill in to the original surface is obtained and no further filling or earthing-up. This gives me a shank of at least 10" without any soil getting into the Leek which makes this so much easier when preparing to cook. This may seem to be rather labour intensive but half the time natural rainfall does the job for me. As a total guesstimate I would say that around a 90% success rate. There are times when nature cheats! What I find easier is to push a little soil into the trench rather than actually having to earth-up. This generally only needs a very slight movement with a hoe rather than trying to pile the soil up.
JB.

Is it not just to keep them white?

JB's method is the one I'll try this year; I've been forgetting the original trench. Earthing up is to keep the stems white; apparently they taste better that way, but of course earth gets in between the layers as often as not. So i "earth up" with bog-roll inners, which have done a good job this year.

I was amazed the other day when I put some vegetable waste on a friends compost heap for then to see that they actually throw all their wonderful Leek foliage away and never use it. I questioned his wife and she said that she had never used it in over 40 years of marriage.
What a waste!
I use every scrap of foliage unless it is damaged and feel sure that the taste makes me some wonderful soups and I make Onion and Leek foliage sauce when eating roast Lamb as it is so much more tasteful than just plain Onion Sauce.
Does anybody else not use their Leek Foliage?
JB.

I have never cooked leek tops either they go on the compost heap.

Bren

Hi Bren,
Have you ever thought that you are throwing away the most nutritious and flavoursome part of a Leek. Well you are. I urge you to at least give them a try as they are full of flavour and in soups and stews they make a great contribution. Cut away all the hoary parts and then slice the rest up quite thinly and simply cook. Wonderful in a white sauce with cheese on the top and finished off under the grill. Go on be a devil!
JB.

Hi Johnboy, yes I will try the green tops now you have recommended them, I do make farmhouse/chunky soup with all root veg.and pulses I do put the white part of the leeks into it but never tried the green tops,
hopefully the weather will warm, dry up a bit soon so I can get down to the plot, but I have to catch two buses and then about 10 minutes walk to get there, there's leeks, parsnips and spring cabbage still in the ground.
Bren

I only throw away the toughest tattiest part of the green leek foliage and very finely shred the rest, either for Leek & Potato soup, or for putting in minestrone soup. The rough green leaves are also useful for adding flavour when throwing in with the chicken carcass for making stock.. They can also be used, finely shredded, when you want something green to mix in with your other stir fried vegetables to add a dash of colour.