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Every year, gardeners discover new varieties of crops. But sometimes even famous vegetables become a discovery. Leeks became such a pleasant surprise for lovers of healthy eating. It is rarely cultivated in summer cottages. The reason is very banal - lack of information. Few people can share their growing experience. And widespread information about the pickiness of leeks stops vegetable growers from trying to get their own harvest.
Knowing about the benefits, juiciness and excellent taste of leeks, they buy them in supermarkets, although this is not cheap. We will describe in detail the process of growing leek seedlings at home. Let us separately dwell on the timing of when to plant leeks for seedlings. This is necessary to know in order for the crop to take its rightful place in summer cottages.
Benefit for health
A little about the nutritional properties of leeks. The content of nutrients in it is very balanced. Pearl onions, as leeks are also called by botanists, are valued for their composition and versatility of use. It is included in a variety of dishes and preparations. What substances allowed the plant to take such an honorable place? Naming everything will be tedious and time-consuming; it will take us away from the purpose of the article.Therefore, we will briefly list the most well-known groups necessary for the human body:
- complex of vitamins;
- a whole list of essential oils;
- list of mineral salts;
- microelements;
- proteins;
- cellulose.
Nutritionists recommend that people with metabolic and joint diseases be sure to include leeks in their menu.
There is also a contraindication to the use of a useful product - gastritis and ulcerative manifestations in the acute stage. These restrictions are associated with a large number of essential oils that can cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract.
Description and important characteristics
This is a perennial crop, the development cycle of which from seed to seed takes 2 years. In the first year, a rosette of leaves and a productive organ, the false stem, are formed.
It is the bleached false stem of the onion that is the main part of the plant for which it is grown. The “leg” is eaten at any stage of development.
Leek leaves are flat, rather long (80 cm) and wide (up to 6 cm) with a waxy coating. Leaf color can vary in different shades of green. At the bottom, the leaves are tube-shaped. With these tubes they close with each other and form a juicy “leg”. The diameter (2-6 cm) and length (10-60 cm) of the tube depend on the variety.
The plant does not form the usual bulbs for us. In the first year, onions grow false stems, which are of primary value to vegetable growers. In the second year, the plant produces a peduncle and leek seeds ripen.
Gardeners typically do not grow pearl onions for seeds. You can freely buy them by choosing the most productive varieties or hybrids. The germination of leek seeds lasts for 3 years.
The root system of pearl onions is very powerful.If you leave onion roots in the soil after harvesting, they enrich the soil well with organic matter.
Leeks can be stored for about six months, while fully retaining their properties. This quality makes it possible to obtain fresh greens almost all winter.
Like most plants, varieties of pearl onions are divided according to ripening time:
- Early ripening (summer). Ripe onions are harvested at the end of summer - August. The stem of early ripening varieties has a stupor-shaped or straight shape, the leaves are light green in color and located at an acute angle to the stem. The difference between early types of leeks is the loose arrangement of leaves and intolerance to cold temperatures. Therefore, non-transplant seed production of the crop is developed only in the southern regions. An example of a summer variety is “Bulgarian Giant”.
- Mid-season or autumn. The shape of the stems resembles a thick cylinder, some have only a slight thickening at the bottom. The leaves are more saturated in color, green or gray-green, powerful and denser. Collect harvest of medium leeks in the first ten days of October. In winters with a mild climate, the plants are left in the ground until spring, then you can get seeds the next year. Varieties Karantansky and Sizokryl.
- Late ripening or winter. They grow much slower than other leek varieties, but are characterized by increased cold resistance. In regions with mild winters, harvesting takes place from October to April. The false stem in later species is short and thickened at the bottom. The leaves are covered with a waxy coating, bluish-green in color with an original fan-shaped arrangement relative to the stem.
Let's consider the main method of growing leeks - seedlings. This is due to the length of the growing season of the crop, which lasts 6-7 months.By direct sowing into the ground, you may not be able to wait for the harvest in the climatic conditions of the middle zone. Therefore, the main part of the article will be devoted to the question of how to grow leeks through seedlings.
Stages of growing seedlings
The first question vegetable growers ask is how to properly plant leeks for seedlings? To grow high-quality leek seedlings, you need to follow certain steps:
- Determine the timing of planting leeks for seedlings. This is an important point to which the rest of the actions are tied. The main thing is to prevent the seedlings from overgrowing.
- Select the desired variety and purchase high-quality planting material.
- Prepare the soil for sowing onions and leeks for seedlings. The soil mixture must meet the crop's requirements for composition, nutritional value and structure.
- Choose convenient containers and prepare them for sowing the seeds.
- Conduct pre-planting preparation of leek seeds.
- Sow leek seeds for seedlings.
Each stage has its own nuances, which we will dwell on.
Determining the sowing time
The sowing time is chosen depending on the planned harvest date. If mature stems need to be obtained in early autumn, then planting leeks with seeds appointed for the end of February or beginning of March. Then, already in early April, you can move the leek seedlings to grow in a greenhouse. To plant seedlings in open ground under film, seed sowing is scheduled for the end of March.
If it is more convenient to sow seeds in the fall, be sure to check the date with the weather forecast. It is necessary to plant before the onset of frost.
Naturally, when choosing, it is necessary to take into account weather conditions and air temperature in the growing region. A large part of success depends on this.In the northern regions, you should not start planting leeks for seedlings in 2019 before April-May. It will be possible to plant seedlings in open ground in June. In the central regions, sowing begins in mid-February, planting in a greenhouse is carried out in mid-April, and in open ground - in the last ten days of May.
Choosing seeds
The best option is to buy a bag of seeds from a well-known manufacturer in a specialized store. In real conditions, the varietal characteristics will be manifested a little weaker, so it is better to opt for high-yielding hybrid varieties. The manufacturer gives recommendations on agricultural cultivation techniques, so be sure to read them before purchasing. Then you can be sure that you will provide the plant with the necessary conditions and care. For spring planting of leeks for seedlings
take early ripening varieties to guarantee a harvest.
Preparing the soil
Leek seedlings when grown at home have certain requirements for the soil. The nutrient mixture is prepared from equal parts of compost, turf soil, peat and humus. The composition shows that the soil should be nutritious and loose. If you plan to plant leek seedlings in peat, then for 5 kg of moistened substance you need to add:
- dolomite flour – 250 g;
- double superphosphate – 50 g;
- urea – 30 g;
- potassium sulfate – 40 g.
Leek seedlings need microelements, so if you can purchase microfertilizers in tablets, add them according to the instructions.
Preparing containers
Leek seedlings do not tolerate picking well, so you need to be responsible when choosing containers for seedlings.The depth of the container should be at least 10-12 cm, because the plant has long roots.
When you decide to plant leek seedlings in boxes, you must not exceed the recommended sowing rate. In boxes measuring 35 cm x 50 cm you can place no more than 3 g of leek seeds. There is a good way out - cut the soil in the box into cubes, then sow 3-4 seeds in each. It is best to sow leeks for seedlings in small planting containers with cells.
Before sowing leek seeds for seedlings, the prepared containers are disinfected with a strong solution of potassium permanganate and dried.
Preparing seeds for sowing
To get healthy and high-quality leek shoots from seeds at home, you need:
- disinfect the seeds for 30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate, preheating it until warm;
- harden for 30 minutes in cold water;
- soak in a damp rag for a week;
- dry and start sowing.
Having completed all the preparatory activities, you can begin growing leeks through seedlings.
Sowing seeds
Let's consider the next stage - how to plant leeks for seedlings.
First, the container for future seedlings is filled with soil, compacted a little and moistened.
Prepared seeds are sown in boxes in rows. When growing leeks from seeds, they are placed at a distance of 5 cm from each other. Planting depth is no more than 1.5 cm. When planting in separate containers, plant 2-3 seeds per container. The crops are carefully covered with film and transferred to a place where the temperature can be maintained at +22°C ... +25°C and provide the seedlings with enough light. Periodically remove the film and moisten the soil. Usually the first shoots appear after 10-15 days.
As soon as the first shoots appear, the film can be removed completely and the temperature reduced to
+17°C during the day and +12°C at night. This temperature regime is maintained for a week so that the seedlings do not stretch out. Then the daytime indicator is again increased to +20°C, and the nighttime indicator to +14°C. This balance is maintained throughout the entire period of seedling development.
Planting leeks for seedlings, useful video:
It is necessary to mention one more way to grow leeks from seeds. This is growing in beds. Seeds are sown immediately in open ground. The timing of sowing leeks for seedlings using this technology differs from those discussed above. It is important to consider the soil temperature here. It should not be lower than +2°C. How to plant leek seedlings in open ground to get a good harvest? It is necessary to pay special attention to soil preparation. Leeks do not grow in heavy clay soils. He needs loose, light, well-permeable soil with the addition of leaf humus. The reaction is slightly acidic or neutral. It is advisable to take soil for seedlings under fruit trees, willows or acacias. It will not be possible to obtain a full-fledged harvest using humus from poplar and oak leaves.
Seedling care
It is important not only to sow the seeds, but also to know how to grow healthy leek seedlings. Let's consider the main points of caring for leek seedlings. In addition to maintaining temperature conditions, the following are very important:
- Watering. For irrigation, use exclusively warm water and only when the top layer dries. Overwatering can cause such a serious disease of seedlings as “black leg”. You need to moisten the soil carefully, trying not to damage the delicate stems.
- Feeding. Leeks respond well to organic fertilizers, so it is customary to water the seedlings with “compost tea.”This is what vegetable growers call a weak infusion of compost in water (1:10). You can prepare a solution of mineral fertilizers "Agricola" (vegetable) "Kemira-Universal".
- Leaf trimming. To ensure good growth of the roots and thicken the stem, the leaves of the seedlings are pruned. This procedure can be done once every two weeks, leaving the leaves 8-10 cm long.
- Ventilation. Mandatory requirement. This way the seedlings stretch less and begin to prepare for hardening.
- Hardening. Leek seedlings need it, starting 5-6 days before planting at a permanent growing site.
If sowing of seedlings is carried out on time, then it is optimal to plant leeks in a permanent place after 50 days.
Planting seedlings and further care
The land on the site is fertilized in the fall; the most desirable precursors for leeks are potatoes, legumes, cucumbers, and cabbages.
Select a place for the beds and prepare the soil. The earth is dug up, leveled and grooves are made. The optimal depth is 15 cm, row spacing is 20 cm. Seedlings are placed in furrows at a distance of 15 cm - 25 cm (depending on the parameters of the variety).
You can add wood ash to the furrows when planting.
The leaves and roots of the seedlings are shortened by a third, and the seedlings are immediately watered after planting. As soon as the diameter of the stems reaches 1 cm, it is necessary to add soil around the plants.
Basic care consists of:
- Hilling up plants. This technique allows the plant to form a well-bleached stem.
- Weeding and loosening. Such actions save the plant from weed and retain nutrients in the soil. It is good to mulch the plantings with straw or peat.
- Feeding. Use organic matter 3 weeks after planting. Then mineral compositions - once every 2-3 weeks.In the spring, complexes with a high nitrogen content are taken, in mid-July - phosphorus and potassium.
- Thinning. Necessary for dense plantings.
We looked at the technology of growing leeks from seeds, when to plant and how to care for seedlings. We stopped in detail at the stage of how to sow leeks for seedlings. Now you can grow a nutritious vegetable on your own plot.
