Planting leeks on your site

Leek until recently was not very in demand in our country, but recently it has become a popular vegetable, which many summer residents are successfully growing on their sites.

This plant has nutritional properties,close to the onions, but differs from it with a mild sharp taste and a gentle consistency. Valued for the high content of vitamins, essential oils and minerals. During growth, it forms a cylindrical bulb and wide linear leaves with a light waxy coating. In food, a thickened base, called a false stem, is used. The plant is biennial, but is cultivated as an annual.

Soil for planting leeks

For growing the plants,mainly a seedling method. Planting leeks requires a preliminary preparation of the soil, which begins in the autumn. The site is dug quite deep. This is due to the need to plant the plants in order to whiten the false stem.

The leek grows well on drained fertilesoils with pH from 6 to 7.5, but will not be capricious if the soil is slightly more alkaline or more acidic. Definitely not suitable only for heavy soil with stagnant water. The site should be manure or well-rotted compost. The amount of mineral supplements should be limited, otherwise the onion will grow too intensively and become less winter hardy.

Seeding of leeks

You can grow leeks by sowing seeds or seedlings.In the first case, the seeds are sown in the ground for the winter, but it is more convenient to use the seedling method. To obtain seedlings in early spring, the seeds are sown in small boxes, which are then placed in a greenhouse at a temperature of 13 degrees. Adult and strengthened plants are transplanted into other boxes according to the 5x5cm scheme. In early April, the seedlings are taken out in cold hotbeds for quenching.

Landing leek

Landing leeks in the open ground producedin late April, and if the soil is warmed up badly, then in early May. Seedlings are considered ready when the sprout becomes thick with a pencil and up to 20 cm long. On the eve of transplanting, the seedbed prepared for seedling is watered, the seedlings are shortened with leaves and roots.

Before planting leeks, hoe orThe hillside is deep grooves (up to 15 cm deep), in which the seedlings are planted at a distance of not less than 15 cm between the sprouts. Between the rows the minimum distance is 30 cm, but it is better a little more - up to 80 cm. The seedlings are lowered into the hole made by the peg, but they do not fall asleep on the ground, but fill it with water. The soil then settles and crushes the roots. At this landing of the leeks is over.

Care for leeks.

In the future, plants need to periodicallyIn order to whiten the bases of plants. Watering onions is required only in drought. On average, the weekly water norm for a three-meter row is about 10 liters. Planting leeks on fast drying areas will require additional care - mulching. Plants need regular weeding and loosening, but it is enough to do two or three times during the summer. To feed onions can be organic fertilizers, for example, slurry.

Harvest cleaning starts in August, but only forconsumption, and for winter storage onions are harvested in early October. Curious fact: during storage, leeks do not lose vitamins over time, but instead accumulates. And it is stored for a long time, until the very spring.