Growing and caring for leeks

Leeks have the unique property of accumulating ascorbic acid during storage, but in our temperate latitudes it can only be grown in seedlings in well-lit beds with not too acidic soils (pH about 7.5). If the acidity of the soil is high, then before planting it must first be subjected to liming.

Two to three months before planting the seedlings in the ground, they begin to prepare the seeds: they are soaked for twenty minutes in hot water (not higher than 50°C), then washed and placed in a damp cloth at room temperature for a week. After the expiration date, the seeds are sown in small pots (for example, yogurt cups).

In the spring, a large amount of organic fertilizer (up to 15 kg per m²) is added to the soil in the future bed and it is dug deep before planting. In mid-May, the leaves and roots of leek seedlings are cut by a third and planted in the ground to a depth of 12 cm.

Leeks need regular watering (once every 5 days), frequent loosening of the rows and 3-4 feedings throughout the season. The plant is fed as follows: ammonium nitrate (20 g) and potassium salt (15 g) are dissolved in a bucket of water and watered. You can feed with bird droppings and mullein.

From mid-summer, ash is added to the onion stems and hilled up. The plant is cold-resistant, so it can be left in the beds until November.Growing and caring for leeks is not particularly difficult, and as a result you get delicious, aromatic bulbs, which in autumn and winter can become the main source of vitamin C for the body and protect it from infectious diseases.

Comments

Thanks for the useful information. I think there is a place in the garden bed, then leeks can definitely be planted.

We don’t practice caring for leeks at all. We just plant the seeds in the spring under the film and that’s it. Of course, we water and feed two/three times a season. But we don't do anything else. Unless we weed with a mower, we go around the bed.

I plant leek seedlings, take care of them a little, but what? As with all cultures. But I don’t plant a lot, because my plot is small, otherwise I would plant more. It turns out a good harvest.