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Growing Leeks from seed
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Posted by john90808 z10 So Cal (My Page) on Sat, Nov 14, 09 at 17:35
| I am growing leeks from seed for the first time. I have them planted in small pots inside my house and they appear to be doing very well. My questions are:
1) Do I need to thin them now or can I let the seedlings grow close to each other and then gently separate them at the roots when I transplant them (like I do with onions).
2) Do leek seedlings benefit being cropped while they are still growing inside like onion seedlings? If so, how short do I trim them?
Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| Don't thin them until you are ready to plant. Also don't trim them. I usually plant them really close (seeds) in an area of my garden that isn't be used and then transplant later in the year. I usually have full sized Leeks at this time but never got around to planting them this year. |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| You can do it either way, but they do fine if spaced and thinned at final transplanting. |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| Thanks for the quick responses! My seedlings seem so crowded but I am sure that they will separate out just fine upon transplanting them into the ground. (Glad I didn't trim them.) |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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I would separate them and plant them at correct spacing.
Before separating/planting water them real well and after transplanting almost flood them, to pack the soil around the roots.
Leeks like all onions is transplant friendly.
I hope that by "thinning" you do not mean throwing them away. |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| john90808, I put my leek seeds that I saved from a 2 year old leek into a garden bed a little over a month ago and they still have only the first single leaf. I typically wait until it has 2 o 3 leaves before transplanting and I have had great success. I make 4-4 inches deep trench and plant them in and slowly cover them after they start growing. This way, a big part of the stalk gets under soil and become white. Sometimes I throw in leaf mulch i have them available in garden. I have found leeks among some of the easiest plants to grow - they tolerate extreme heat and cold. |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| I agree with what zebraman said above. However, there is crowded and then there is *CROWDED*. If they are actually touching each other at their bases, I would consider that too crowded and would stunt their growth too much. |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| I've never thinned onions or leeks planted in seed boxes no matter how close they were. Both have straight roots that easily separate. "Thinning" occurs once the plants are set into the garden. |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| I have never grown leeks from seed and would like to try. I bought a pack but didn't know when to plant them. How long do they take from seed to transplant size? |
RE: Growing Leeks from seed
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| soonergrandmom.......I am in a cooler zone six, and I start my leek seeks sometime in December for setting out to the garden in spring. I have heated g'houses and they get a pretty good size by then for me (about the size of a small scallion in a market). Perfect transplant size. Some years they germinate very quickly, and some years not. Just in case they are slow on the germination I'd plant on the early side to assure they are good transplant size come spring. |
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