Graham Porter’s Gardening: Potty about leeks

Nov 21 2009 By Graham Porter

NOW that the show season is over and we have had the first frosts, it is time to start enjoying leeks (Allium porrum), whether as a straight vegetable, with some local cured ham and a lovely cheese sauce or in a warming winter soup such as leek and potato.

The growing of leeks as an ordinary vegetable for the family is not a mystery and most of us will be able grow a few, even if we do not own an allotment, either by sowing our own seed in spring or by buying young leek plants ready for planting out in April and May.

These can be harvested from October onwards, traditionally not harvesting until the first frosts have touched the plants. A well-prepared soil with some well-rotted manure or compost incorporated to preserve moisture is all that is required with a supplement of a good general fertiliser applied to the ground before planting.

For those who are of a more fanatical nature, leek growing has little to do with feeding the family and more to do with winning prestigious prizes at local, regional and national vegetable shows. In the North East of England, the growing of pot leeks, with no more than 15 cm (6") of blanched stem, is a continuous challenge for many, with very large, valuable prizes on offer, even at local shows.

The blanched leeks, the show version of what we grow for eating, can have a blanched stem of around 45 cm (18") or longer and may start life as leek grass in October ( this is young plantlets that forms naturally on the top of the flower spike in late summer).

For more information on leeks, why not visit www.british-leeks.co.uk or have a look at the National Vegetable Society website at www.nvsuk.org.uk