Growing leeks

Leeks are easy to care for and have a pleasant taste. Therefore, it is very profitable to grow it on your site. Knowing certain features of this culture, any gardener can get a good harvest of onions.

First of all, you need to decide on the ideal time for planting leeks. Since this plant is thermophilic, it is recommended to plant it in the soil only after the ground warms up well. The disembarkation time depends on the characteristics of the local climate. So, in the suburbs and in the Leningrad region, leeks are planted in April. In Siberia and other cold regions, this is done later.

When planting leeks, you should also take into account the peculiarities of the selected type of onion.

• Early. These plants are weakly hardy. Therefore, they are planted only after the establishment of warm weather. Early leeks are low. Its foliage is light. It should be eaten immediately. Such onions are not suitable for long-term storage.
• Average. Such onions are planted a little later. His bushes are not so high. The foliage of the plants is tender and pleasant to the taste.
• Late. These varieties grow the slowest. Their stems are short, the foliage is dark green. Such plants can be stored for a very long time. Therefore, they are most often harvested for the winter.

The choice of a site for growing leeks must be treated responsibly. Attention should be paid to the following points.

• Soil quality. Sowing onions is in fertile and loose soil. Plants develop much worse on sandy soils. The acidity of the soil also plays an important role. It shouldn't be too high. If necessary, the soil should be deoxidized using lime or ash.
• Illumination of the site. Leeks are light-loving plants. Therefore, it is recommended to plant it in well-lit areas. In the shade, the bow will develop very slowly. For this reason, leek beds are always located away from tall trees and bushes.
• Temperature. It is recommended to plant plants only after the temperature rises to 4-6 degrees Celsius. For the onion to grow more actively, the temperature should be within 20 degrees.

When choosing a suitable place in the garden, it is worth considering which plants were grown there before the leeks. The best predecessors for it are tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and carrots. It is not recommended to plant leeks where other types of onions grew before. It is also important to consider which neighbors are next to the onion. Leeks can be planted next to tomatoes, celery or onions. These plants do not interfere with each other. Therefore, they can be safely planted in one area.

You can speed up the onion ripening process by growing it using the seedling method. This method is most often used in regions where summers are very short. Sowing onions is recommended at the end of winter. Before planting seeds, they must be pre-treated. This process consists of several steps.

• Calibration. The seed selection scheme looks very simple. The planting material must be poured onto a white sheet. Next, you need to manually select the appropriate seeds. It is desirable that they are the same size.In this case, the onions will sprout at the same time. After that, the seeds should be placed in a container with a saline solution. All damaged grains will float within 30-50 minutes. Next, the seeds must be removed from the container, rinsed under running water and dried.
• Hardening. Before planting seeds in the soil, they can be pre-hardened. This procedure will make them resistant to cold and fungal diseases. The planting material must be wrapped in gauze or thin cloth, and then placed in hot water for a couple of minutes. After that, it should be transferred to a container of cold water. Seeds treated in this way need to be dried.
• Germination. To germinate the purchased seeds, they must be laid out on a piece of cloth or gauze soaked in water. Next, you need to pour the planting material onto it. Cover the seeds with another piece of cloth. After that, the planting material is placed in a warm place for several days. During this time, the seeds have time to germinate. Then they must be dried within 24 hours.

Before sowing seeds, it is important to choose a container in which the seedlings will grow. It is recommended to plant grains in small containers with drainage holes. These can be containers or individual cups. Each such container is pre-disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate, and then filled with a mixture of fertile soil, peat and humus.

Having filled the selected containers with soil mixture, the soil must be watered abundantly. After that, seeds can be planted in the soil. They need to be sealed to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. Next, each container with seeds must be covered with a transparent film and left in a warm place. They are usually placed on a windowsill or in a greenhouse.

After the first shoots appear, the film can be removed. This usually happens 12-20 days after planting the seeds. In the future, the seedlings need to be properly looked after. It is regularly watered with settled warm water. This should be done as the soil dries out. If weeds appear next to the seedlings, you need to get rid of them. You can store containers with herbs on the balcony or in the greenhouse.

Experienced gardeners recommend cutting seedlings every 15-20 days. They should be no higher than 10 centimeters. This procedure will make the plants stronger and the stems more juicy. There is usually no need to feed home-grown seedlings. They do this only when there is a lack of nutrition. In this case, mineral complexes or organic fertilizers are added to the soil.

Planting young seedlings in open ground usually occurs 40-60 days after sowing the seeds. The exact time depends on the characteristics of the variety. It is possible to determine that the seedlings need replanting by the appearance of the plants. Each of the seedlings should have 3-4 full leaves.

Before planting seedlings, the soil must be dug up. It is advisable to add organic fertilizers to the soil. Green seedlings can be planted in both long grooves and individual holes. The depth of each of them should be within 10 centimeters. The average distance between rows is 30-50 centimeters. After planting the seedlings in the soil, the foliage can not be cut off.

Before planting, it is recommended to coat the roots of onions with a talker made from clay and rotted manure. The products are mixed in containers in equal proportions. It is very important to water the garden abundantly. For watering, you should use warm and well-settled water.

To grow healthy and strong plants on his site, the gardener needs to remember about the rules of agricultural technology.

First of all, it is worth remembering that plants need regular feeding. If the soil has been well prepared in the fall, a minimum amount of fertilizer can be used in the spring. In the second half of summer, plants are fed with foods with a high nitrogen content. Urea is best suited for this purpose.

The most popular are infusions prepared on the basis of manure or chicken droppings. To prepare them, you need to use rotted foods. They must be diluted in warm water. Such dressings fill the soil with nitrogen. Therefore, leeks grow very well after fertilization.

You can also use nettle infusion instead of these products. The herb is placed in a large barrel. Warm water is poured there. The contents of the barrel should ferment for several weeks. After that, the product is filtered and used for plant nutrition. After applying any of these fertilizers, the beds should be well watered.

Leeks are a moisture-loving plant. Therefore, beds with green plants need regular watering. It is especially important to pay attention to soil moisture during periods of drought. If the plants lack moisture, their development slows down. In addition, the palatability of the greens also deteriorates.

To spend less time watering and destroying weeds, the gardener should devote time to mulching the beds. It is especially important to do this for people who grow leeks in the country and cannot spend too much time caring for the plants. The technology for mulching the beds is very simple. Lay the organic mulch in a not too dense layer. In this case, it is important that it does not come into contact with plant stems.

Since leeks love light and loose soil, the beds should be loosened regularly. This must be done carefully, trying not to affect the root system of young plants. It is important to remove all weeds in the process. They can be embedded in the soil right after weeding. Some gardeners also use them to create green fertilizers. Usually, weeds are added to the compost pit.

In order for the plants to develop normally, it is important to huddle them regularly. Do this 2-4 times per season. You can use any tools in your work. Spud plants need to be neat. The soil must be poured to the base of the plants. At the same time, do not allow the earth to enter the inner sinuses of the leek. To avoid this, the stems can be wrapped with paper and carefully tied with twine.

If the plants develop slowly, it is recommended to prune them additionally after hilling. Usually the foliage is shortened by a third. After that, even weakened plants develop much faster.

Like any other plants on the site, leeks can be subject to various diseases. The most dangerous disease that can destroy this plant is a viral mosaic. It is carried by aphids. Yellow spots appear on the foliage of ailing plants. Plants can be saved by treating them with Fitosporin.

Fungal diseases are also dangerous for this culture. The most common is powdery mildew. The foliage of the onion is covered with oval spots. They grow in size over time. Leaves of infected plants become unusable. Therefore, having noticed signs of the disease, the greens should be removed from the site.

Protecting plants from pests, gardeners should also pay attention to the advice of more experienced people. The greatest danger to leeks is the onion fly. It can be found back in May. If this is not done in time, the larvae can destroy the greens. To combat the onion fly, it is recommended to treat the beds with tobacco dust or wood ash. The dry product can be simply sprayed over the area. Ground pepper will also help scare off pests.

You can harvest at different times. It is best to dig up early varieties of onions in August. Harvesting of late varieties is postponed until the onset of frost. You can dig onions with a shovel or a pitchfork. If the soil is loose enough, the greens can simply be gently pulled out of it. Next, the onion must be carefully peeled from the ground and cut off. Gardeners usually remove two-thirds of the green foliage. After that, the plants are well dried.

The harvested crop is sent to storage in a cellar or basement. It is very important that the temperature in this room is neither higher nor lower than + 2-3 degrees. Under these conditions, leeks can be stored for up to six months. To extend the shelf life of the onion, it must be placed in a container with sand.

Onions can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. It is necessary to send this product for storage after cutting the foliage and roots. For storage, the leek must be packed in plastic bags. You should put onions in the vegetable section. If your home has a large freezer, onions can be stored there. Usually the greens are cut with a sharp knife and placed in plastic bags as well. In this form, the onion will be stored for about six months.

The greens can be dried instead. This is done very simply. First, the onions must be washed and dried. After that, it is cut into thin circles and dried.... In this form, the harvested greens are stored in jars or containers with tight-fitting lids. Leek greens are rich in vitamins and very healthy. It is often used to complement salads, soups and main courses. It can be added to various dishes both raw and frozen or dried.