vegetable > LEEKS > HARVESTING
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LEEK GUIDES
Companion PlantsGrowing From SeedHarvestingTransplantingWinter Growing
Leeks are a harvest that you could reap from late summertime properly through to the following February if you opt the ripe varieties and sow or plant out at the veracious multiplication .
This is a corking autumn and winter vegetable to raise in your garden .
When and how to reap leeks are important thing to interpret to grow them in your garden .
First of all , to get a crop of leek , sow your seeds in wintertime or outflow .
After around 6 months , you could harvest your leeks by simply using a garden ramification to jimmy the veg up from the ground .
When To Harvest Leeks
you’re able to bear to harvest leeks from late August onwards , around 6 month from planting .
Most gardener ( myself admit ) will leave behind scallion in the garden until they have been exposed to frosts , as this can improve their savour .
When you will glean leeks will prescribe which kind it will be proficient to grow .
Some are best for recent summertime or fall harvesting , whilst others are great for mid - winter .
Some are even idealistic for look you through until springiness .
Leeks are then commonly leave in the dry land and reap as needed from October through to December .
It is best to impart leeks in the ground until they are require because they do not keep long fresh in memory .
Leeks are typically fearless in the UK and can get by with whatever conditions status we typically experience – including depressed temperatures , Laputan and wet conditions , and snow .
In fact , snowfall can sometimes be beneficial , acting as a blanket to protect the radical of the plants .
If you hold out in a cold wintertime area and the primer freezes solid over the winter , you’re able to consider lifting and heeling them back into the grime in a warmer area where they can be retrieved more easily as needed .
you’re able to also use a mulch of chaff or dried leave to help reduce ground freezing .
How To Harvest Leeks
When harvest leek , use a fork or other gardening puppet to poke them up .
Do n’t assay to pull them up by hand or they may break off below the ground .
Leeks can get quite stuck in the spring up metier , peculiarly if your grease has a high clay content , so easing them out gently so that they do not break up is the way to go .
“ I use a garden fork to softly allay them out of the ground and then practice a hired hand fork to carefully knock away land from the roots , ” explains Horticultural Consultant Colin Skelly .
“ You do n’t desire territory entering the top of the leek as this will make lap them far more grueling .
“ seek to reap in ironical weather if possible as this will stand for less soil sticking to the scallion . ”
Once you harvest your leeks , whether you do so all at once or little by little over the cold part of the year , you should find tidy sum of ways to cook with them , as this versatile vegetable plant very well in a wide reach of recipe .
Storing Your Leeks
Most of the time , you should not experience pest or disease problems when prevent leeks in the garden over wintertime to be harvested slowly over time .
However , if you do find that you are having issue with winter damage , then you might also consider covering your winter crop with rowing covers or cloche to protect them .
However , if you prefer or would like to grow something else in the space in your garden , you’re able to reap a number of leeks all at once and preserve them by chopping them up and freeze them for later use .
or else , you may store leeks in damp soil or sand in a cool root cellar or pantry for a few month .
They will , as mention above , typically store well in the earth outside where possible until it is sentence to reap .
