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Leeks

NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
in Fruit & veg
My leeks in the seed bed are 2 or 3 or 4 inches tall and still very thin.

I have made a mistake and used up all growing space in my veg beds so have no where to transplant the leeks when appropriate.

Dopey question No 6.

Can I just move the leeks a few inches away from where they are now and continue to use the seed bed as their "final position "

If not why not please.


Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Yes, just transplant them deeper as usual.  I start mine in modules and plant out into the bed used for early potatoes when those are lifted.  That's a fixed part of my crop rotation planning every year.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
    Bob

    ? Do I wait until they are as big as pencils use a dibber to make a bigger hole than they are as the packets say and then move them.

    Good advice....thanks.


    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited May 2020
    Pencil thickness is about right and I do usually use a dibber.  Make the holes deep enough (6 to 8 inches is usually about right) so that when you drop a baby leek in, about a third of the leaves are still above soil level.  Water them in which will automatically wash some soil down over the roots at the bottom of the holes - no need to fill the holes with soil after transplanting as that will happen automatically.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    A few pellets of chicken manure before you drop the seedling in will help too.
  • Sabina13Sabina13 Posts: 113
    I've always wondered why leeks arent back filled when they're planted? What's the reasoning behind this? 

    If the answer is going to be it happens naturally, when we water the soil fills the hole, my retort is so why don't we plant all veg like that? Leave the planting holes open to naturally back fill. 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    To save time is one reason I do it.  Why do unnecessary work? ;)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    My understanding is that they are planted deeply to encourage the stem to blanch, because of this only the root needs to be covered at the start which happens when you water them in.  Then as they grow they fill the hole which will still have plenty of air in it even if the dirt has dropped in further.

    Course it saves time as well  ;)
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
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