When to harvest leeks
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Leeks are tasty winter vegetables that are easy to grow, but do take some time and attention – they are usually sown in containers or a ‘seed bed’, then moved to their final position a few months later. Sow seed in spring, and you’ll be harvesting from autumn through to late winter.
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Sow
For a bumper crop of leeks, improve the growing site by digging in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure, ideally in autumn.
Leeks are best suited for growing in open ground, but you could grow several in large, deep containers or raised beds.
Traditionally, leeks are sown into a seed bed, away from your main vegetable plot, then the young leeks are transplanted in early summer. This is because sowing leeks at their final spacings in your main vegetable plot would take up a lot of room early in the growing season, when you could be growing fast-maturing crops such as lettuces.
During March or April, sow leek seeds thinly, 1cm (½in) deep, in rows 15cm (6in) apart.
If you don’t have space outdoors or only want a few leeks, you can sow in modules indoors, then transplant outdoors later. Sow one seed per module.
Grow
To increase the length of white stem, gently draw up dry soil around the plants in stages as they grow, but try not to let soil fall in between the leaves.
Water during long dry spells and weed regularly.
Harvesting
Start harvesting in late summer, when the leeks are still quite small, to increase the cropping period.
Gently lift from the soil using a fork.
Leeks can remain in the ground through the winter until they are needed.
Recommended Varieties
Leeks — winter & early spring
Leeks — winter
Common problems
Leek rust
This is a fungal disease causing bright yellow spots on the leaves. It is often worse in long, wet spells.
Remedy
Mild attacks of rust won’t harm the plant, but serious infections may cause leaves to shrivel and affect yield. There is no control for rust once you have the infection. Make sure you don’t crowd plants, as this increases humidity and increases the likelihood of infection. Dispose of any badly affected plant material, and don’t grow garlic, leeks or onions in the same spot for three years.
Onion white rot
A soil-borne fungus that can cause yellowing and wilting of the foliage above ground, while rotting the roots and invading the bulb beneath the soil. A white fluffy fungus appears on the base of the bulb and later becomes covered in small, round black structures.
Remedy
There is no chemical cure for onion white rot when it is the soil. It is important to avoid introduction to previously clean sites. It is transported in contaminated soil, for example on tools or on muddy footwear. Take particular care in areas where cross contamination can occur easily, for example on allotments.
Leek moth
This is a relatively new pest of leeks and onions and thought to be mainly concentrated around the south-east coast of the UK, although it has been found further inland and north. Caterpillars tunnel into the leaves, causing whitish-brown patches to develop on leaves. In severe cases, leaves may turn yellow and rotting occurs within them.
Remedy
Once you see the damage, there is nothing you can do to control it. Remove and destroy infected plants. When planting out, cover leeks with horticultural fleece (like Enviromesh) to prevent adult moths from laying eggs.
Recipes
Anthony Worrall Thompson includes leeks in his root vegetable gratin dauphinoise
Nigel Slater adds leeks to his artichoke soup with ginger and walnuts
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When and How to Harvest Leeks
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Leeks at harvest 1
by Stephen Albert
Harvest leeks when they are big enough to use. Most leeks mature 100 to 120 days after sowing seed, but a few varieties mature in as few as 60 days.
Some varieties mature at ½ to ¾ inches in diameter; others can grow to 1 inch (2.5 cm) or more in diameter.
When to Harvest Leeks
- A leek is ready for harvest when its white stem or shaft is 3 inches (7 cm) long or greater.
- Harvest leeks before they start to widen too much at the base; don’t allow leeks to form bulbs.
- The top growth of a leek—called the flag—should be dark blue-green at harvest. Unlike onions and shallots, leek tops do not die back as the plant matures.
- Leeks can be harvested from late summer to early spring depending upon the variety and climate. In milder winter climates, leeks can be overwintered in the garden for spring harvest.
- Some varieties such as ‘Winter Giant’ and ‘Tadorna Blue’ are bred for overwintering. Temperatures as low as 20°F (-6°C) will not harm these varieties. If you leave leeks in the ground for winter harvest, hill up the soil around the plants and cover them with a heavy layer of mulch until you need them.
- Non-hardy leeks ready in 60 to 90 days will be milder flavored than long-growing, hardy varieties. Harvest non-hardy varieties in the summer and fall before the first frost.
How to Harvest Leeks
- Digging leeks is easier than pulling. Leeks have a large root system.
- Use a hand fork or garden fork to loosen the soil before lifting leeks.
- Where the soil is loose, you can harvest leeks by hand by gently twisting and pulling them from the soil.
How to Store Leeks
- Give harvested leeks a shake and brush off as much soil as possible then rinse the plant thoroughly.
- Leeks are the most flavorful used fresh.
- Store leeks wrapped in a damp paper towel in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days. Smaller leeks store better than larger leeks. Trim the roots and wash the leaves and stem before refrigerating.
- Leeks store best at 32°F (0°C) and 95 to 100 percent relative humidity. Yellowing and decay develop rapidly at warmer storage temperatures. High relative humidity is essential to prevent wilting.
- Trim the leaves and slice leeks in half lengthwise immediately before use and rinse out any remaining soil that is often caught between the tight leaves.
More tips: How to Grow Leeks.
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How to Harvest and Store Tomatoes
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When to harvest leeks
Contents
- 1 Characteristics of leeks
- 2 When to harvest leeks
- 3 How to store leeks
The leek is a relatively new crop in Russian gardens.
In Western Europe, this onion has been grown for a long time, it is an essential ingredient in most traditional dishes. Leek has an interesting taste, gives a pleasant bitterness, and most importantly, this onion contains a very large amount of vitamin C and other trace elements necessary for the body.
There is nothing complicated in growing leek, but in order to keep the crop for a long time, you need to know some rules for harvesting this crop.
Peculiarities of leeks
To correctly calculate the time when you need to harvest leeks, you should understand the features and nuances of this crop.
So:
- Leek is unpretentious, it can easily grow in almost any climatic zone, withstanding drought, humidity, and temperature changes. Only sub-zero temperatures are fatal for onions, so the leek crop should be harvested for the winter.
- Leek is considered a very productive crop. If we compare it with onions, which are more familiar to Russians, then leek definitely wins in terms of productivity: two to three times more mature plants are harvested from the same area.
- The most valuable part of the leek is the white head and neck. It is in the lower part of the onion that contains the largest amount of vitamins and minerals.
- Leeks can be eaten in many ways: they are eaten raw, salted, pickled, dried and used as a seasoning, added to soups and side dishes. Leek is delicious and nutritious.
- Leek is a biennial crop, so it cannot be grown in one season from seed. The most effective ways of cultivating leeks are planting seedlings or sowing seeds before winter.
Green leek feathers can be plucked at any stage of crop development - the leaves have a piquant taste and give a slight bitterness to salads and hot dishes. If the gardener plans to keep the crop until next spring, you need to take care of the correct harvesting and provide the onions with suitable storage conditions.
When to Harvest Leek
The first thing a leek grower should learn is that the ripening time of this crop depends largely on the variety.
Today, there are many varieties of leek, among them there are both early-ripening and "evergreen" varieties grown "on a feather". There are also varieties of leeks whose feathers remain soft and juicy throughout the growing season, other varieties of onions are grown precisely because of the value of the heads.
Important! First of all, you need to find out what kind of leek grows on the site.
The harvesting time of the leek also depends on how soon it will be used. For example, if you need fresh greens, you can cut feathers during the summer and all autumn. Those who want to stock up on delicious onions for the winter should take care of a place to store them.
Usually, leeks are cut for the winter in early October, but here much depends on the climatic features of the region.
Attention! The main rule for harvesting leeks is to dig onions before the first frost.
In principle, the longer the onions remain in the beds, the better - all the nutrients will remain in them for a long time.
In regions with mild winters, leeks are sometimes left in the garden until the beginning of spring, only in this case the plants need to be well covered - so the onion can withstand frosts up to 8-10 degrees.
Colder winters force gardeners to dig leeks out of their beds. After that, the question arises about the storage of this valuable vegetable. Remove the bow like this:
-
- carefully dig the heads out of the ground, being careful not to damage the delicate feathers;
- remove yellow, dry and damaged leaves;
- two thirds of onion feathers are trimmed;
- roots are shortened by about half;
- wash the onion under running water;
- Dry thoroughly in a well-ventilated room.
Tip! In order for the leek heads to be snow-white, a few weeks before the expected harvest, it is recommended to cover the beds with opaque agrofibre.
How to store leeks
There is no single rule for storing leeks, the method may depend on the purpose of the vegetable:
- Even in the summer, you can harvest the green part of the leek.
To do this, cut off the grown feathers and cut them into rings or straws. Chopped onions are put into bags and sent to the freezer. Such blanks can be used to prepare salads and other dishes.
- Leek can be finely chopped and dried in the oven or in an electric dryer, setting the temperature to no more than 50 degrees. In such conditions, almost all the nutritional properties of onions will be preserved. This herb can be used alone or mixed with other herbs.
- To keep whole leeks fresh for a long time, you need to choose the most beautiful and strong leaves. They are thoroughly washed, dried, then put in bags of no more than eight pieces. The bags should be placed in a cold place (temperature from -2 to +2 degrees) for several hours, then make several holes in the polyethylene and put the onion in the freezer. The storage temperature of leeks should be no higher than -5 degrees, then for about 5-6 months the vegetable will retain its taste and appearance.
- Leek can be stored in the cellar for about half a year, but special conditions must be created for this.
The air temperature should not rise above 10 degrees, and the humidity is about 85%. Leek is stored in wooden boxes with wet sand. The dug stems with heads are placed vertically, immersing the lower part in the sand, then sprinkle the feathers with moistened river sand - the layer should be at least 20 cm. In this state, the leek will perfectly retain all the vitamins and will be as fresh as from the garden.
Each owner chooses how to store his harvest, but in any case, you need to know some features of leeks:
- do not immediately put the onion in the freezer - before that, the feathers must be cooled. If you do not follow this rule, the leaves will not retain their freshness, after defrosting they will be soft and lethargic.
- Leek can also be stored on the balcony, but it must be well covered. In such conditions, the vegetable will withstand frosts down to -8 degrees.
- The condition of onions stored in any way should be checked periodically.
Damaged or rotten stems must be removed. - For drying leek, heating up to 100 degrees can be used, but valuable vitamins will be preserved only when such treatment is short-term - no more than 20 minutes.
- If you miss the moment and do not dig up the leek before the first frost, you can lose a large part of the crop. Frozen feathers will not be stored.
- Leek should be dried on gauze or cotton cloth. In no case should the sun's rays fall on the unfolded bow.
Leek is a very unpretentious crop, it is quite easy to grow it. It is also easy to preserve the harvest of this healthy vegetable, you just need to be able to properly harvest it and prepare it for long-term storage.
When to harvest leeks
It is important for vegetable growers not only to grow a crop, but also to harvest it correctly.
The article will help you decide when to harvest leeks and how to properly store the crop after harvest.
This amazing plant is used not only fresh, but also marinated, salted, dried. The vegetable gives dishes a piquant taste, it is good to add it when cooking first courses, slicing salads or preparing snacks. A feature of leek is its ability to increase the concentration of vitamin C during long-term storage, which increases the value of the vegetable in winter.
The entire final growing process can be conditionally divided into 3 equivalent stages, the correct implementation of which will preserve the vitamin composition of the leek for a long time:
- digging the leek out of the ridge;
- mechanical cleaning, trimming;
- storage.
With careful observance of the rules, leeks keep well until next spring and help to saturate the diet with useful components.
Contents
- Harvest timing of leek
- How to harvest
- Storage conditions
- Conclusion
Harvest timing of leek
The timing varies depending on the following factors
: plant To eat fresh leeks in the summer, they begin to dig them up in August.
At the same time, for 2-3 weeks, the bed is covered with an opaque film to whiten the bulb. A vegetable intended for winter storage is dug up after September.
Important! When choosing a leek variety, you need to focus on the climate of the region so that the crop ripens on time.
For the northern regions, the harvesting period coincides with the beginning of October, for the central part - with the beginning of November, and in the south, vegetable growers begin to dig leeks in early December. Another criterion indicating the need for harvesting is that the tops of the leek lie on the ground.
How to Harvest
To properly understand the whole process of harvesting leeks, it is necessary to separate the stages of ripening. Until the vegetable is completely dug up, green feathers are regularly collected throughout the growing season. The process continues until the onset of cold weather. The feather is cut from the bulbs, which are then not suitable for storage. This must be taken into account in order not to prepare root crops that are not suitable for long-term storage for laying.
Dig up the vegetable very carefully with a shovel.
Care is needed here. The main goal of the gardener is not to damage the stems. Also make sure that no soil gets between the leaves.
Important! If the stem is still damaged, this copy of the leek is cleaned and stored in the refrigerator.
When digging, immediately weed out damaged and contaminated parts of the plant. They are also not subject to laying for the winter.
Selected specimens are cut.
The leaves need to be shortened by 2/3 of the length, and the roots by half.
Leek stalks prepared in this way are stored. At the same time, the leaves and roots must be laid out in different boxes. The storage methods for these parts of the vegetable are different.
When picking, also set aside the lancet leek. It will not be stored, because its purpose is to form seeds.
Storage conditions
There are several ways to store leeks in the winter. The main types are the storage of feathers and root crops. At the same time, it is important to observe the main condition - the vegetable should be laid for the winter immediately after harvesting. Do not leave it for a few days, otherwise it will not lie for a long time.
Feathers are harvested during the entire time of ripening of the vegetable.
To keep the feather longer, you will need to remove all damaged or dried parts of the plant. Then rinse the greens thoroughly and dry in a dark place.
For storage, use one of the appropriate methods:
- Arrange the finely chopped feather into bags, close the fasteners and place in the freezer of the refrigerator.
- Grind the feather, dry at 50ºC in the oven, arrange in containers, use further as a seasoning.
- Store whole dried feathers in a tightly closed paper bag.
Root crops are also preserved in various ways. The choice of option depends on the existing conditions.
Optimum - put the onion in the cellar. However, not everyone has such a cool room at home. Therefore, let's consider possible ways of storing vegetables after harvesting from the garden:
- In the sand. This option is used by the owners of the cellars. Fill low plastic or wooden boxes with sand. The layer thickness is 5 cm. Then vertically install the root crops and cover with a thicker layer of sand from above - about 20 cm. This option requires precise compliance with the humidity and temperature parameters, otherwise the bulbs will begin to grow.
Humidity is important to maintain at a value of 80%, temperature from -1 ° C to + 1 ° C. - On the shelves. In the cellar, one above the other, install shelves that are made of slats with gaps between them for ventilation. The distance between the shelves is 15-20 cm. Lay the roots in one layer. With a large number of vegetables, a two-layer arrangement is acceptable.
- On the balcony. This option is suitable for regions where frosts are not too long and strong. The maximum allowable value is -8ºС. Transfer the bulbs to the balcony and cover with insulating material that allows air to pass through. Periodically sort and clean the onion from spoiled parts.
Important! The method is not suitable for storing leeks in plastic bags that do not allow air to pass through.
- In the refrigerator. Wash the stems, dry, clean. Place in bags, squeeze out air, tie sweaty. Place in the refrigerator in the zero chamber or container for vegetables.
The use of any method involves storing the root crop without access to light.
