Use pipes to support blanch leeks
As the leeks grow, pipes take the weight of the flags and prevent plants from bending
For a few years now I’ve grown my blanch leeks in 30-litre (7 gallon) pots on a bench in my polytunnel and they’ve really done quite well for me. But this year I’m reverting back to how I used to grow them in my polytunnel at home, in a raised bed about 60cm (2ft) above ground level. I planted 19 ‘Llanedwen’ leeks in the bed in a domino fashion at 45cm (1½ft) apart, which allows me plenty of room to access them for collaring.
Prior to planting the leeks, I applied 135g per sq m (4oz per sq yd) of the following: Medwyn’s Complete Base Fertiliser, NutriMate powder and ground calcified seaweed. I don’t cover the leek beds with black and white polythene as I feel there’s very little benefit from the extra light as the foliage is much higher up. I use plastic pipes to support the flags, which is important for two reasons. Firstly, when you spread the flags over the supporting plastic pipes they’re well exposed to the sunlight for better growth. Secondly, the weight of the flags is tremendous and if the weight isn’t carried by the pipes it can cause the leek to bend.
I use three plastic pipes to support the flags suspended from the steel tubular tunnel structure. The leeks are currently on 38cm (1¼ft) collars and as they develop I’ll lift the pipes up to take care of the weight. I’ll try and lift the pipes evenly so the weight is equally distributed along the two rows. From the day the leeks were planted in the compost last October they’ve been treated with Ecothrive Biosys. I’ll continue to apply this at monthly intervals until they’re harvested. I have videos on how I planted the leeks on my twitter account and I’ll keep posting these throughout the season.
Follow me on Twitter as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern’ – @medwynsofangles.