Plug in young leeks
Late May is an excellent time for setting out young leek plants. If you have grown yours from seed, they’re ready for planting when the lower ends of the plants are about the width of an oldfashioned lead pencil.
they’re best planted deeply, to maximise the succulent white lower zones of the leeks when they’re harvested in winter.
I like to mark out my rows before planting and to arrange for the rows to be 30 cm apart. the ground should be crumbly with a deep tilth.
Make your holes with an old-fashioned dibber or a broom handle. each should d be about 15cm deep. Drop a young leek plant into each hole and then fill it up with water. the leek will sit up to its neck in wet.
the action of the water r will usually back-fill each h hole, so there’s no need to firm soil round each plant.
You can plant young leeks s from May to July for r harvesting from October r through to april. If you u prefer smaller leeks for r baby veg, plant them much h closer together.
Watch out for bolting g plants and harvest any y leeks which develop a a flower stem. Bolting is s caused by plant stress — usually from drought or r unseasonal cold.