At what location does leek ripen?
Leek is one of the sun worshipers as well as the heavy eaters. These two attributes largely determine the choice of location:
- sunny, well sheltered, warm location
- nutrient-rich, humus soil
- fresh, moist and well drained
also read
- Cutting off or digging up the leek? - That's the right way to harvest
- When is leek season?
- Freezing leeks - the preparation is what counts
When is planting time?
Thanks to a strategically clever combination of summer and winter onions, the healthy vegetables in your garden are in season all year round. If you sow behind glass in January, plant in the heated cold frame in February / March. Optionally from 20 degrees Celsius outdoors.
Winter-hardy varieties should be planted as young plants from May to August to enjoy them all winter long. Direct sowing outdoors is not advisable due to the many risks posed by pest infestation.
How are leeks properly planted?
When the hand-grown or pre-purchased young plants are planted in the ground depends on their variety. For the actual planting process, you can choose between two different methods:
Growing leeks in planting holes:
- Weeding the bedding soil thoroughly, loosening it and smoothing it out with the rake
- Poke 15 cm deep holes with the wood and insert the leek
Planting leeks in trenches
- Draw trenches 20 cm deep in the bed
- the excavation remains between the rows
- Place young plants so that their green leaves are still clearly visible
Whichever planting method you choose; In the last step, the leek plants are carefully slurried. The earth must not be pressed against it. In the following weeks, pile up the stalks repeatedly so that nice, creamy white shafts develop.
The correct planting distance
The following plant spacing offers best growth and sufficient freedom of movement for maintenance work:
- Distance within the row: 10 cm to 15 cm
- Row spacing: 20 cm (when growing in a trench: 40 cm)
What should be considered when harvesting?
Summer onion definitely has enough growth energy for a two harvest. So cut the ripe poles off just above the ground in the first pass. In good weather conditions, narrower sprouts thrive again, but have not lost any of their taste.
Since winter leek won't grow back depending on the time of year, dig up every sprout when harvesting. On a frost-free day, the soil is loosened with the digging fork in the morning hours in order to pull the leeks out of the ground in the afternoon.
Tips & Tricks
Even the particularly hardy leeks cannot tolerate a sudden change between frost and thaw. Under such stress, the tissue cells tear and the vegetables become inedible. It is therefore advisable to protect winter leeks with a film or to pile them up thickly with earth and leaves.
