Leek growing
Loz46
Posts: 103
Some advice required by a newbie leek grower please!
I sowed some Musselburgh seeds in April which I transplanted a couple of months ago and have been doing great.
Looking at them today, they are being eaten by slugs and upon closer inspection, I am finding slugs burrowed around the leek in the holes that I made for them.
I presumed that I will need to keep as much of the whole open as possible to allow the leek to grow width-ways. Can people tell me if this is the case? Some mud has fallen into some holes and these don't seem to be growing as well, but I am gutted that the holes that I have managed to keep clear are now filled with slugs and slug eggs!!!
I fear that this years crop maybe ruined, but I would appreciate your advice for future years of leek growing.
Many thanks!
Posts
No need to keep the holes clear Loz, just let them gradually fill in themselves as rain washes soil in and the leeks will grow perfectly well. They are greedy feeders, so worth digging-in well rotted manure before planting. I also hoe-in a sprinkling of fish, blood & bone later in the season. Strangely, slugs have never been a problem for my leeks although they attack everything else!
Hi Loz
I've never had leeks slugged either.
I wonder if pigeons might (also) be to blame?
In future years, it's usual to sow leeks in the spring in a seedbed and then plant them in their holes in their final positions in early to mid-summer when they're as thick as a pencil. By now they should be looking edible-sized and you'd expect to start harvesting them soon, and (certainly with Musselburgh) right through the winter.
No need to keep the holes clear - they'll push out sideways as much as they need to. Did you trim the roots and leaves when you planted them? And if you can see which way the leaves are flopping down when you plant, if you arrange for them to be pointing along the rows it makes hoeing easier.
Another useful tip is to dib their holes at the bottoms of trenches, plant them and then earth them up (carefully so as not to get soil inside them, which wears out your teeth) a couple of times as they grow. This blanches a longer length of stem/leaf base which is what most people want.
Good luck. Boil them whole, wrap them in ham and cover in cheese sauce before browning in the oven
Have your leeks been attacked by leek moth larvae? Mine got hammered in August last year and by the time that I realised they had eaten right down the leaves so I cut them off at ground level and they grew new leaves very quickly and I managed to save the crop, although they didn't taste as good as they had the year before. This year I have grown them under a fleece tunnel since transplanting them in June I believe that the threat from attack isn't over until the end of October so I will remove the protection then.
Thanks for the replies guys, it's good to know I can leave the holes to fill up.
Steve - I transplanted them when they were the thickness of a pencil, and I trimmed the roots down too. I have pulled a couple of poor ones up for one reason or another, and they are certainly very well anchored into the ground! Thanks for the tips, and thanks for reminding me about baked leeks with ham and cheese - I'd forgotten all about that, but I will certainly by making that if i manage to harvest any!
I presumed it was slug damage as there is some slime trail on the leaves, and especially as they are hanging out in the holes, but perhaps something else is also to blame. The leaves are being eaten from the ends of the leaves where they are touching the ground.
One thing I did notice was lots of tiny green 'grains' that I presumed was as a result of the slugs messy eating, but maybe this is a clue towards something else...?
I will go and take a photo this afternoon and post it later!
Barry, I have just googled leek moth, and I did see a couple of tiny green caterpillars in the soil yesterday, about 5mm in length perhaps. I recognise the white damage in the centre of the leaves too.
Will post pic later to see what your think!
Here we go... From what Ive seen online, it looks like leek moth damage with a sprinkle of rust thrown in for good luck.
Should I continue growing these, or am I just delaying the inevitable?
Please excuse the mud thrown around, this was as a result of my dispair upon finding this yesterday.
Had a good look on the leaves including undersides, but no larvae spotted. Is it possible that the slugs were eating the larvae?! Probably not, a bit too hopeful there me thinks.
Thanks again!
Yes, looks like leek moth or leek fly damage to me. They are both leaf miners and eat the leaf from the inside before pupating. See the RHS info on those two, here:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=652
Allium fly:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=643
which also includes advice on dealing with each of them. Personally, given the damage levels, I would lift and use them asap. I lost a whole crop a couple of years ago and pulled them all but last year escaped any serious damage so sacrificing now may help you avoid the issue next year. Or not!
Lift one and see if the grubs have got into the leek itself as the damage to the leaves won't kill the plant but if they have eaten into the leek it could have ruined them, although if the damage is confined to the tops only just cut the top off before using them. You may also notice webs with the pupae in them which will overwinter in the soil so plant leeks in a different place next year and dig around the soil after you have lifted all the leeks to destroy the pupae.
Hi al my leek crops over the past few years have been good with this years looking fine however I have just gave them another feed as they are greedy.
Baked leeks with ham and cheese yum yum will have some of this, try braised leeks chopped in chicken stock with garlic and when just about ready to serve a dollop of fresh cream black pepper tasty with chicken or steak.
i am not too bothered when I eat them at any size however at the end of the season I freeze them whole in bags so that when i need leeks I just pick one or two from the freezer defrost chop and use
happy gardening
They like liquid manure too - never had a problem with slugs, they tend to leave onions / leeks etc alone but you could put pellets down