Leek is a versatile product. Due to the ability to quickly adapt to different climatic conditions, it is widely distributed throughout the world. It is consumed fresh, used in cooking, fried, boiled, steamed, dried, marinated, and this only makes it tastier. Leek is used as a separate product, as a seasoning and as an addition when harvesting vegetables for the winter. In this article, you will learn that planting leeks in the garden is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. A little care for him, and in the fall you will have a storehouse of vitamins on your table.
Biological features
Consider the leek, the general characteristics of the variety are presented below. This is a biennial plant that does not form bulbs that are familiar to us. In the first year, the leek develops a false stem. It has a cylindrical shape and wide leaves that fan around the stem. The most productive part of the plant isthe false stem mentioned above. Its thickness can exceed 7 cm, and the height of the bow reaches 30 cm.
In the second year, the plant develops a victorious shoot, at the end of which a spherical inflorescence is formed. From it, at the end of the growing season, you can collect seeds, thanks to which the leeks are planted for seedlings.
It is necessary to observe a strict temperature regime of 2 ° C, in such conditions the seeds will germinate and the leek will sprout. Growing seedlings is a painstaking process. Young shoots do not tolerate frost, but when the plant takes root, small frosts are no longer dangerous for it.
There are two ways to grow leeks: planting seedlings or direct sowing into the soil. Below we will tell you more about both methods.
The best place to plant onion seedlings
In order for the leek to give a bountiful harvest, it must be grown in seedlings on well-cultivated fertile soils. Slightly acidic and neutral soil is excellent for this type of plant. Leek is very fond of moisture, so it can be grown on moist loamy soils. In heavy clay soils, the plant develops poorly and sometimes dies. Urea, compost, superphosphate or potassium s alt are used as fertilizer.
Leek. Growing seedlings from seeds
To quickly germinate seeds and get strong seedlings, you must resort to the following procedure. It is necessary to place the seeds in hot water for 20 minutes, then in cold. After the hardening procedure and to speed upFor germination, the seeds are soaked for three days in warm water. After the seeds have hatched, they are dried on gauze, and then the leeks are planted for seedlings.
Sowing seeds
In order to grow a he althy leek, the procedure must be carried out at a certain time. To do this, the gardener will need boxes for growing seedlings, which should fit on the window. February is the best time to be fertile in growing leeks from seed. Caring for the plant during this period requires minimal effort. Timely watering and regular spraying will do the trick. If you plan to grow seedlings in a greenhouse, sowing is carried out in mid-April. And already at the end of this month - the seeds can be planted in the beds. Don't forget to cover them with foil.
The boxes are filled with prepared soil, but not to the very top. Then the seeds are planted in a row with an interval of about 5 cm. The depth of such a groove is not more than 15 mm. After the boxes are covered with foil and put in a warm and dry place. Inside the resulting greenhouse, the air temperature should be about 25 ° C. When the first shoots appear, we remove the film and maintain the temperature regime all week - at night 12 ° C, and in the daytime - 17 ° C. After a week of exposure during the day, we observe 20 ° C, and at night - 14 ° C. And so throughout the entire stage of growing seedlings.
Caring for seedlings
After the first sprouts have appeared from the seeds, careful seedling care begins, on which it will dependend result.
Leek is a cultivated plant that loves water very much. Therefore, the soil should always be slightly moist. Don't over-water, otherwise the roots may rot. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out, but don't over-moisten it either.
Watering is carried out with warm water with little pressure. The whole procedure is done carefully so as not to damage the stems of the sprouts. If you want to get a he althy and rich harvest, you do not need to be limited to watering alone. In this case, feeding plays an important role. It is performed once or twice.
In order for the root system to become more powerful and the stem thick, the leaves are pruned. After this procedure, the length of the leaves should not exceed 10 cm.
Planting seedlings of leeks is carried out after the plant is hardened. Within six weeks, it is taken out into the street and watering is gradually reduced. And then the seedlings are planted in open ground.
Planting leek seedlings correctly
When the seedlings have grown stronger, it is time to plant them in open ground. Most often, this procedure is carried out in late April or early May. The site must be prepared in advance. Seedlings are planted in rows in previously prepared grooves. The planting depth is slightly greater than what was in the boxes. The roots and leaves of the onion are trimmed a little.
Rows are made at a distance of 50 cm from each other, and onion seedlings are planted at a distance of 10 cm. This ensures good growth for the plant and makes it more convenienthilling procedure.
Growing leeks
Planting leeks for seedlings is just the beginning. The hardest part is caring for a mature plant. The basis of successful onion cultivation is made up of two factors: care and top dressing. For a young plant, timely loosening of the soil and weeding is very important. Watering and top dressing of leeks is carried out as needed. Most often, these procedures are performed during the growing season. For leeks, bird droppings are an excellent fertilizer, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20.
After the young plant is well rooted, fertile soil is poured onto the bed. After a couple of months, the first hilling is carried out, then, as necessary, the procedure is repeated until the harvest. It is very good for a plant to add wood ash to the soil before hilling. Leek does not tolerate weeds around it, so it needs regular weeding.
To protect the harvest
Like any plant, the leek is susceptible to attack by pests and various diseases. But its main advantage remains that, in comparison with onions, it is still more resistant and is not so often attacked by pests or some kind of disease. By adhering to the above recommendations (proper planting of leeks for seedlings and observing agricultural cultivation techniques), as well as paying due attention to the plant, it is not so difficult to grow it he althy.
However, there are insects that are dangerous for this culture. For example, an onion fly. Despite its name,This pest damages many plants. But still there is a plant that this insect cannot stand - carrots. If you plant these two crops side by side, the problem with the onion fly will be solved. Another pest is tobacco thrips. To combat it, special chemicals are used. But nature managed to take care and create a natural enemy for tobacco thrips - a predatory mite.
One of the most famous diseases of leeks is powdery mildew. To get rid of it, use an effective remedy called Bordeaux liquid. And if white rot appears on the shoots and leaves, it's time to use calcareous soil.
We harvest and store it properly
Depending on the onion variety, harvesting begins with the onset of the first frost, when 3-4 true leaves have already formed on the plant. The plant is carefully dug up and pulled out of the ground, holding the shoots. The roots are removed with a pruner, leaving no more than 2 cm of the basal lobe, and the leaves are cut to 2/3 of the length. Leek has excellent long-term storage properties. At the same time, the content of vitamin C in the stem does not decrease. It can be stored in the basement all winter, for this it is enough to maintain 80% humidity at a temperature of 1-3 ° C, and dig the stems in an upright position in slightly damp sand. If the sand is excessively wet, the air regime will be disturbed, which means that the plant may begin to rot.
In addition, leeks can be stored in an unconventional way. It is frozen, s alted,pickled, dried, etc. Dried onions make an excellent addition to other seasonings. You can also pack onions in bags of 5-7 and store in the refrigerator for about 5 months.
Useful properties of leeks
Leek contains a lot of vitamins, as well as a lot of protein. High content of ascorbic acid, potassium, carotene, etc. allows you to use this product to improve metabolism, increase appetite, increase immunity and to treat a whole list of diseases. For example, in the treatment of rheumatism, kidney stones, obesity, s alt deposits, gout, atherosclerosis.
Leek contains a lot of useful substances. Growing, tending, planting on windows and germinating seeds are worth the effort.
Summarizing, we can say that a leek deserves to be in your garden at least once.
