Leeks are not as popular as onions, but their taste and attractive appearance encourage gardeners to grow them on their plots.
However, this is not always possible. To avoid disappointment, you should learn more about this crop before planting it.
10 Things You Need to Know About Leeks
1. It is important to select a variety based on the ripening period. Preference should be given to early varieties. Late varieties are more suitable for southern countries.
2. There are varieties that form a long white false bulb. But it is usually thin. And there are varieties whose false bulb is not very long, but with the right agricultural technology it grows thick and fleshy.
3. When buying seeds, pay attention to the date of collection and packaging. Onion seeds lose their germination very quickly, so always choose last year's harvest.
4. Leeks are grown through seedlings. The sowing time depends on the time of planting in the garden bed. The age of seedlings should be 30-35 days. When picking - 55-60 days.
5. Leeks can be planted as early as the beginning of May. But to ensure that the plants take root and start growing faster, it is better to keep them under film or agrofibre until the end of May. Despite the fact that this is a cold-resistant crop, tender young seedlings react painfully to spring colds, and can die during night frosts.
6. To ensure that the seedlings are strong, they need to be transplanted into separate containers. If this is not possible, they need to be sown in a tall container at a distance of 3–4 cm from each other.
7. In order for the false bulb to form long and white, the leek will have to be hilled. First, it is planted in trenches 15 cm deep. Soil is added as it grows. When the trench is level with the bed, the onion needs to be hilled once or twice.
The higher the hilling, the higher the stem becomes white.
8. Leeks produce a good harvest on fertile soils. Therefore, the bed should be well fertilized with compost before planting (approximately 1 bucket per 1 sq. m).
9. You shouldn't expect a good harvest on acidic soil. It is necessary to add a deoxidizer in advance. This can be ash, chalk, dolomite flour. The amount depends on the degree of soil acidity.
10. Leeks need good lighting. They should be planted at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other. Then the plants will have enough nutrition and light, which will allow you to get a good harvest.
Take these subtleties into account so as not to be disappointed in the leeks and get an excellent harvest.
