(birds tweeting)
- This is about a slightly different way to grow leeks.
So I multi-sow.
Taking a module or a cell or small pot
in mid-April this was,
actually the 6th of April to be precise
in the greenhouse.
Four seeds.
Average, between three and five.
We don't count too precisely,
but we're aiming for four per cell
and then you raise them in those little clumps.
That saves space in the greenhouse.
It saves compost and so on
and then it's quick to plant them out.
You just don't thin them out.
Don't single them,
just plant them as a clump.
So they're growing as a clump all together.
Funnily enough, plants seem to quite like
this way of growing.
It's a bit like you're putting them in the ground.
They're growing with their mates.
You know, no separation,
they're all together,
right the way through
until this moment of harvest.
So here, for example is a clump of four leeks,
which have been growing here since we planted them
roundabout 20th of May.
It's now the middle of October.
So that's five months
they've been in the ground here
and I've not done much actually,
apart from a bit of weeding,
not even a lot,
it's no dig,
so they simply went in after Brussels sprouts.
We'd spread some compost around the sprouts,
then planted the leeks in and through that surface compost.
But the difference with how leeks are traditionally grown
is they're not deep in the ground.
So there isn't going to be a long white stem.
Instead, there's a long pale green stem,
which I think is actually more tasty.
That's a subjective thing,
but basically you get a long stem whichever way you do it,
whether it's traditional
where you put them deep in the ground
and it's all white,
this way, it's all green.
So let's have a look.
If I pull this clump
and we'll see what's there.
Give you an idea of the soil as well.
Basically, this is no dig soil with a compost mulch.
You see a lovely root ball on these leeks
and there they are.
I want to harvest them all
just so you can get an idea of what you might expect
from your one clump of leeks.
I have to admit,
I have chosen one of the nicer clumps here.
They're not all as uniform or regular.
Some have just two leeks, some have three.
One has five, I noticed,
and this is one that has four,
which are all reasonably similar.
But you can see as I just take off the outer sheath or so
of each one,
this is how we present them for market.
Now, that's interesting.
Sometimes they do this too.
It's split.
So they're not all perfect that one's entirely edible.
It wouldn't be saleable.
The variety here is philomene.
So that's a early leek to medium.
It will stand some frost.
I wouldn't think to try
and take a leek with such a long stem through the winter.
There's actually something else here I've just noticed,
which also can happen on leeks
that have been in the ground quite a long time.
'Cause they have, from sowing now,
this is six months
and just occasionally you get a bit of rotting like that.
I don't know if I'm going to be able
to get it all clean, actually.
Let's just see what happens.
Usually that, you can take that off
and get to a clean leek underneath.
So although we've lost a bit there,
we've still got a nice leek
and there we are.
That is the harvest from one clump,
planted at around 15 inch spacing.
So we're getting a lot of leeks here
from quite a small area for not too much work.
I'm very happy.
(birds tweeting)