Agrotechnics of cultivation of a leek in an open ground. Growing and caring for leeks, planting seedlings in open ground. Summer onion care

Growing leeks is becoming increasingly popular among lovers of country life. Today I propose to learn how to grow leeks and how to care for them from sowing to harvesting.

Leek, or pearl onion, is the oldest culture spread throughout the world, but it appeared in Russia only in the last century. Currently, leek is the third most popular among garlic and onions.

Growing leeks, of course, begins with seeds, or rather with their preparation. Leek seeds remain viable for 3 years.

Seeds are disinfected (pickled) in the same way as cabbage seeds. To do this, the seeds immediately before planting are placed in water: first in hot water (40-45 ° C), and then in cold water.

For quick germination, the seeds are germinated. To do this, they are laid out on a cloth moistened with water (20-25 ° C) and left in a warm place. After 2-3 days, the seeds are slightly dried (to a state of flowability, so that it is more convenient to sow) and immediately sown.

The described methods of preparation concern seeds from your own garden, but if you use purchased seeds, then usually no preparation is needed.

But if you decide to grow leeks through, then you do not need to soak and germinate the seeds.

Growing seedlings of leeks

In the southern regions, the cultivation of leeks is carried out in a seedless way: the seeds are sown directly into the ground after May 15th.

• middle - end of February (in seedling boxes on the window)
• mid-April (in a glazed greenhouse) and the end of April (under a film on a garden bed).

The length of daylight hours for leeks is 10-12 hours. Therefore, when sowing in February, it is necessary to organize additional illumination of seedlings.

The prepared seeds are sown in small boxes with moistened soil in rows every 5 cm. The depth of the furrow for sowing is 1-1.5 cm. The crops are covered with a film and placed in a well-lit and warm (+22 ... + 25 ° C) place. When the first shoots appear, the film is removed, and the temperature in the room is lowered to + 15 ... + 17 ° C during the day and + 10 ... + 12 ° C at night. At this temperature, seedlings can withstand one week. After that, the temperature is adjusted to +17…+20°C during the day and +10…+14 °C at night and maintained at this level throughout the entire period of growing seedlings.

Compliance with the temperature regime is an important condition for obtaining a crop. Heat in the seedling period is dangerous because it contributes to the formation of a flower arrow not in the second year of the plant's life (as expected), but in the first.

A month later, thickened seedlings are thinned out so that the distance between adjacent plants in a row is 2-3 cm. Seedlings dive into pots 4 cm in diameter.

The best results are obtained by growing seedlings in peat pots and, since in this case no picking is required.

If conditions permit, the seedlings are watered with compost tea. Such top dressing is carried out regularly (after 2 weeks) throughout the entire growing period.

During seedling growth, it is recommended to prune leek leaves so that their length remains at the level of 8-10 cm. Leaves can be trimmed every two weeks, which will ensure best height roots, as well as thickening of the stem.

Before planting, seedlings of leeks, like other crops, begin to gradually harden, that is, they are taken out into the street so that the plants get used to ordinary, not room conditions.

Leek seedlings develop slowly. When the age of 6-8 weeks is reached, the stem diameter is 0.5-0.8 cm and three leaves appear, the leek seedlings are ready for planting.

Transplanting

The most suitable soils for leeks are light, fertile loamy soils with a neutral environment.

When preparing a site for growing leeks in the fall, about 6 kg of compost per 1 m 2 of soil can be applied to the garden. In the spring, you can add humus or compost to the bed (about 3 kg per 1 m 2). Just don't dig the garden under any circumstances.

Good precursors for leeks are potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, legumes, and cabbages.

Leek seedlings are planted in the garden in May.

Immediately before planting in a permanent place near the seedlings, it is recommended to shorten the leaves and roots by 1/3. The roots of plants can be dipped in a mash - a mixture of clay and mullein, taken in equal amounts. This technique improves the survival of seedlings.

For planting leek seedlings, holes are prepared with a depth of 10-13 cm, on the bottom of which manure (necessarily rotted) or compost is placed. Onion seedlings are planted one plant in each hole. The roots are sprinkled with earth, filling the hole in half and watered.

For leeks, the following planting patterns are used:

• two-row - with a distance between seedlings of 15-20 cm with a row spacing of 30-35 cm;
• multi-row - with a distance between seedlings of 10-15 cm with a row spacing of 20-30 cm.

Growing leeks is best done on, however, this applies to most vegetables. In wider aisles, you can sow, for example, carrots. These two vegetables go well together. Leek is also friends with strawberries (garden strawberries), celery, beets and onions.

Leek care

Care includes loosening the soil, hilling, weed control, watering and fertilizing. It is advisable to use in order to facilitate your work, as well as provide plants with more comfortable conditions.

When the stems of the plants reach the diameter of a pencil, earth is poured into the holes. And then hilling is carried out every two weeks, this allows you to get a longer bleached stem. At least four hillings are carried out per season. It is better to hill the plants during watering.

Leek is quite picky about watering and soil fertility. Regular and plentiful watering and top dressing is carried out in the first half of the growing season. Good fertilizers are bird droppings and mullein, applied in the form of solutions in a ratio of 1:20 and 1:8, respectively.

The main productive part of the leek is the bleached false stalk, also called the "leg". With proper care, the stem reaches up to 50 cm in length and up to 3-4 cm in thickness.

Leek is a cold-resistant crop. Mature plants withstand frosts down to -5 ... -7 ° C and in areas with a mild climate can winter under snow cover in open field. However, cold and rainy summers lead to the formation of a short and thin stem.

Late (winter) leek varieties are characterized by high cold and winter hardiness. But due to the long growing season, they do not have time to complete the growth. Therefore, such varieties are recommended to be grown in a greenhouse (film or glazed). When grown in open ground, plants are transplanted for growing in boxes and transferred to heat. Transplantation is carried out in the fall before the onset of frost.

That, perhaps, is all that I wanted to talk about growing and caring for leeks. You can also read how to harvest this onion and how to store it here on the site.

Growing leeks is a bit of a painstaking task, but not as difficult as it seems at first glance. You already know how to grow leeks from seed sowing and I think you can grow a good crop of this onion.

Have a good harvest!

I advise, dear readers, not to miss the publication of new materials on this blog.

Leek is the oldest plant loved by gourmets all over the world, which ranks third in popularity among the numerous representatives of the onion family. This is a universal vegetable crop: fresh, it is added as an ingredient in soups, hot dishes and salads, as well as salted, pickled, canned, dried and frozen. Cooked with the right seasonings, leeks can be served on the table as an independent dish and used in the diet menu.

Many people know that the benefits of leeks also lies in its ability to improve the functioning of the liver, gallbladder, stimulate metabolism, increase hemoglobin and immunity. Thanks to these useful properties, as well as high nutritional value, beginner gardeners are trying to figure out how to plant leeks correctly in order to grow this miracle crop in their own backyard.

Leek is considered an unpretentious crop: growing and caring for it will not cause trouble even for an inexperienced gardener. So growing leeks from seeds at home is absolutely easy, the main thing is to follow a few basic recommendations. You can grow this culture in a seedless and seedling way. As a rule, sowing leek directly into open ground is practiced in southern regions with a long warm period. In other areas, it is preferable to use the seedling method.

Leek Seed Processing

In order for the cultivation of leek seedlings to be as successful as possible, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory procedures. They consist in the processing of seed in a special way. To speed up germination and increase germination, leek seeds are immersed in hot (about 40 degrees) water for 25-30 minutes, after which they are dipped in cool water. Then the seeds must be placed in a damp cloth, kept in this form for 3-5 days until they hatch and dry for ease of sowing.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

To determine when to sow leeks, you should proceed from the chosen method of cultivation. With direct sowing, the seeds are planted directly in the garden after May 15th. It is better to sow leeks for seedlings in boxes in the last days of February - early March, about 55 days before the planned date of planting it in the ground. But different varieties of this crop can have different planting and ripening dates, so recommendations on when to plant leeks for seedlings are best looked at on the seed package. The latest varieties, for example, have a growing season of 200 days, so it is advisable to sow them through seedlings in the southern regions. In addition, the cultivation of leeks for seedlings is also possible in a plot under a film cover, but using this method, the seeds should be sown no earlier than the end of April.

The best crop varieties for growing

Experienced gardeners agree that the best for growing at home are Vesta, Bastion, Karantansky.

Vesta is a very productive early variety, bred by breeders specifically for growing in the Moscow region. Semi-sharp in taste, universal use, not susceptible to disease. The total weight is over 200g.

Among all mid-season varieties, Bastion is considered the earliest. The bleached part of the bulb of this variety reaches about 30-35 cm in length. The plant is used in cooking fresh, dried and preserved.

Like all late-ripening varieties, the Karantan leek cultivation is slightly inferior in yield to early-ripening ones, but it has higher frost resistance, excellent keeping quality and can be stored right up to next summer. This variety has been known for a very long time, has excellent taste, peninsular in taste. The weight of one plant reaches 200-325 g.

seedling growing conditions

Successful cultivation of leeks from seeds is impossible without certain conditions. In order for the seedlings to turn out strong and healthy, special attention must be paid to two parameters: temperature and lighting.

Before the appearance of sprouts, the temperature in the room should be no higher than 22-24 degrees Celsius. After the emergence of seedlings for the first seven days, they should be placed in a cool place with a temperature of +15 - +17 degrees, then until the seedlings are planted in the ground, it must be maintained at + 17 - + 20 degrees. A higher temperature regime can provoke the appearance of flower arrows.

Young plants will need a sufficient amount of light, therefore, immediately after sowing, the containers with future seedlings are placed in a dark place, and after the sprouts appear, they are moved to the windowsill.

Also, the conditions for growing leeks provide for a moderate watering regime and periodic pruning of leaves. This culture is very moisture-loving, so the soil must be maintained in a sufficiently moist state. But it is also impossible to overdo it with water, otherwise the roots will rot and the plant will die. To help the leek develop a stronger root system and a thick stem, the leaves should be trimmed periodically, leaving no more than 10 cm in length. At the stage of growing seedlings, it is necessary to carry out one, and ideally - two top-dressings with a solution of mullein or complex fertilizer for vegetables.

A prerequisite for obtaining strong and stable seedlings is hardening. This procedure should be started approximately one and a half to two weeks before transplanting plants into the garden. In the first days, with the help of regular ventilation, it is recommended to reduce the air temperature in the room or greenhouse, then the containers with seedlings can be put outside for a couple of hours. In the last days before planting, seedlings covered with a cloth can be left to spend the night on the street.

Leek does not like picks, therefore, in order to avoid this traumatic procedure for sprouts, it is better to sow the seeds quite rarely or sow them initially in separate containers (for example, peat tablets).

Leek in a snail

You can grow a leek in a snail, which will allow you to plant it directly into the ground, bypassing the picking stage. For this method, you will need a conventional building substrate, film, soil, seeds and stationery gum. A strip about 15 cm wide should be cut out of the substrate, on which the soil should be laid, lightly tamped. Seeds are placed on the ground with tweezers or manually, keeping a distance of 1-2 cm between them. After that, the strip, together with the soil and seeds, is rolled up into a roll, which is fixed with rubber bands. Next, the resulting "snail" must be placed in a container with water, covered with polyethylene and placed in the warmest place. After the appearance of the first sprouts, it is better to remove the film.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Before planting leek seedlings in the garden, you should make sure that the site is well prepared for this crop. Preparation should begin in the fall, fertilizing the soil with organic top dressing and digging it up. Should be reapplied in the spring mineral fertilizers and dig up the area. Especially good for the growth of leeks is fertilizer with chicken or cow droppings.

Leek pleases with good yields in lighted areas with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. You can often hear the question: how to grow leeks in acidic soil? It should be said right away that acidic soils are absolutely not suitable for this culture, but they can be adapted by neutralizing with lime. Also, leeks will like well-moistened sandy or loamy soil.

It has been noticed that growing leeks at home is more productive if its predecessors in the garden are potatoes, cabbage, legumes, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

This crop develops poorly in the area where carrots, garlic or onions were previously grown. In addition, if onions have grown in the garden over the past few years, then leeks should not be planted there due to the fact that nematodes or rot bacteria can multiply in the soil.

You can plant leek seedlings in the garden when the sprouts have at least three leaves. Before planting, young plants should be watered abundantly and cut off leaves and roots by a third. It is also useful to soak the roots in a solution of cow dung with the addition of clay.

Seedlings are planted in long furrows to a depth of about 15 cm. The bottom of the furrows must be fluffed well and fertilized with rotted manure. The recommended distance between rows of seedlings is 35-50 cm, and between plants in one row is 10-15 cm.

Rules for the care of leeks in the open field

Usually, all care for leeks in the open field consists in carrying out several simple activities, the main of which is systematic watering. For good development, this plant will need a large number of moisture, its lack can adversely affect the yield. Furrow irrigation is considered the most effective and convenient. In order to retain moisture in the ground as much as possible and to avoid the appearance of weeds, it is better to mulch the seedlings with straw or peat.

Also, leeks in the open field need hilling. This procedure is the basis of competent plant care and the key to the formation of a beautiful, large and pleasant-tasting false stem. During the summer, as it grows, it is necessary to spud leeks at least twice. The first - immediately after planting seedlings and its rooting, the second - in August. Before hilling, it is useful to add wood ash to the soil.

Possible pest control

The advantage of leek compared to onions is its higher resistance to various pests and diseases. However, when growing this crop, you should still be aware of insects potentially dangerous to it. First of all, it is an onion fly, which, contrary to the name, also affects many other vegetable crops. The proximity to ordinary carrots, the smell of which the insect does not tolerate, will help protect leeks from this pest. Tobacco thrips - another possible pest leek, for which special pesticides are used.

Also, the plant may be susceptible to powdery mildew, the main reason for which is high humidity during sudden temperature fluctuations. With minor lesions, diseased leaves should be removed and the onion can be used as directed. It is better to completely remove a completely affected plant from the garden. An effective drug in the fight against powdery mildew, Fitosporin is considered, with a solution of which the plants are sprayed.

Many of us are accustomed to seeing leeks only in store windows. For domestic gardeners, this variety is still a novelty, which is being mastered more and more every year. This onion to some extent surpassed its relatives in the content of vitamins and microelements. Therefore, it is extremely useful and very tasty.

Those who have already tried to grow leeks on their site are very happy with this discovery. After harvesting, the greens can be stored right up to the next spring, subject to right conditions storage. At the same time, the content of useful substances is not reduced.

In cooler parts of the country, it is better to use a greenhouse or seedling method.

Video on how to plant leeks outdoors

Leek is becoming more and more popular in our country among gardeners. And this is very pleasing, because in terms of its useful and gustatory qualities, it can replace any onion variety familiar to us.

Some do not dare to plant it on their site, being afraid of complex agricultural technology. In fact, this is not true at all. Growing leeks on your own is no more difficult than growing regular onions.

Now more and more summer residents are interested in growing leeks in their gardens. He fell in love with his unusual taste, moderately spicy with a slight sweetness, and the ability to grow even under adverse environmental conditions.

This culture has been spread all over the world for a long time, however, it came to the post-Soviet space only in the twentieth century.

At the moment, leeks are in third place in demand among the plants of their family, after onions and garlic. And no wonder: in addition to excellent taste, it has very valuable medicinal properties.

Leek contains a large amount of protein, as well as many vitamins that we need. Often it is used to improve metabolism. This is facilitated by the ascorbic acid in it.

Preparatory activities

Leeks can be grown both in seedlings and seedless. In both the first and second cases, at the initial stage it is necessary to prepare the seeds. Their shelf life is 3 years, after which germination is greatly reduced.

First you need to disinfect them in order to protect the plant from viruses and pathogenic bacteria. It is not difficult to do this: you need to place the seeds in hot water, with a temperature of about + 40 + 45⁰С, then in cold water.

After this procedure, seed germination begins. They are laid out on a damp cloth and placed in a warm place. Another variant of germination is also possible: after disinfection, they can be soaked in warm water for several days. Then, for convenience, the seeds are dried.

All this is necessary if you use seeds from your garden. Purchased usually pack already processed. It is important to purchase them only from a reliable, trusted manufacturer.

Sowing

The seedling method is especially good for areas with a long cold period. In addition, leeks take a long time to ripen.

If seeds are usually planted in open ground from mid-May, the timing for seedlings is completely different.

When can you start sowing seeds for seedlings?

If you plan to grow it on the window in special boxes, the ideal time for sowing is the second half of February. The exceptions are some varieties, for example, the Karantan leek, sowing its seeds for seedlings is carried out towards the end of March.

It is important to consider that the light day of a leek is 10 - 12 hours. Naturally, the February sun will not be enough for him, so it is necessary to organize artificial lighting.

When the seeds are disinfected and ready for sowing, it is necessary to moisten the soil in the boxes and make grooves there. The gaps between rows are approximately 5 cm. The grooves should not be very deep, no more than 1.5 cm. After all the seeds are placed in the ground, they must be covered with plastic wrap on top and taken to a warm, well-lit place. The optimum temperature for them is +22 +25⁰С.

When shoots appear, and this happens after about a week, the temperature is lowered to 15 - 17 degrees Celsius. At night, it can be reduced even to + 10 ° C. This temperature should be maintained throughout the next week of sprout life. Then it must be raised again to + 17 + 20 ° С in the daytime, and + 10 + 14 ° С - at night. This mode is usually maintained until the time comes to plant seedlings in the ground.

Growing seedlings

If the temperature during cultivation is too high, the seedlings are formed incorrectly, arrows may appear in the first year instead of the second.

A month after planting, seedlings need to be thinned out, otherwise they will not have enough light and air. Between rows there should be a distance of at least two centimeters. For creating better conditions seedlings can be transplanted into separate pots.

In order to grow healthy and strong plants, it is very important to choose the right soil for them. A good option are peat pots and peat tablets designed specifically for seedlings. With their use, there is no need for picking.

If you follow all the necessary conditions, shoots of leeks usually appear on the 10-12th day.

It is necessary to regularly fertilize the land where the seedlings grow. For these purposes, compost tea is well suited. The interval between dressings should be two weeks before it is time to plant the leek in the ground.

Seedlings need to be watered regularly. Leek is a moisture-loving plant, so you need to ensure that the earth does not dry out. Moreover, if you overdo it with watering, the plants will rot or become victims of pests.

Leek leaves are usually trimmed. Their optimal length is 8 - 10 cm. In order for the roots to grow faster, it is better to do this regularly: once every two weeks. This will also help thicken and strengthen the stem.

Preparing for planting

Planting seedlings in the ground is done only after the onion has hardened. In order for this to happen, he is taken out into the street. So leek plants get used to the conditions of the external environment. Without this, it is almost impossible to grow a strong healthy onion, planting in the ground for seedlings is always stressful and an unprepared plant can simply die.

Seedlings develop slowly. Only 6 to 8 weeks after germination, she is ready for planting in the garden. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the stem is of sufficient thickness, approximately 0.8 cm. Also, each plant must have at least three leaves.

Bedding

When the seedlings of this onion have reached the required age, it is necessary to prepare the soil for planting plants in the beds. Leek loves loamy soils. Acidity should be neutral or weak. Low-lying terrain is favorable for beds. Heavy clay soils negatively affect onion growth.

If you plan to plant leeks, the ground must be prepared in advance - in the fall. You can make compost, it will take about 6 kg per 1 square meter. In the spring, you can pour humus on top, 3 kg per square meter of beds. It is very important not to dig up the earth after this!

It is also good to plant leeks in the area where tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, legumes or cabbage grew before. Planting usually takes place in May.

In front of it, the roots and leaves of plants are shortened by about a third. The roots are sometimes dipped in a mixture of clay and mullein in proportions of 1:1. This will allow the seedlings to take root better.

Holes of rather impressive depth are formed on the bed: 10 - 13 cm. At their bottom it is necessary to put rotted manure or compost. One onion plant is planted in one hole, then the recess is covered with earth to half. After that, you need to water the leeks.

Landing patterns

In order to grow healthy leek plants and make the best use of the available area, we came up with two planting options. The first one is to plant onions in two rows. The distance between plants in one row should be approximately 20 cm, and the distance between rows 30-35 cm.

The second way of seating is multi-row. As the name implies, leeks are arranged in several rows at a distance of 10 - 15 cm from each other. The distance between the rows in this situation is 20-30 cm.

Experts advise growing leeks in beds of small width. You can alternate rows of onions with rows of carrots or strawberries. Leek also grows well next to beets and celery.

These tips will help you grow strong, healthy seedlings of leeks and properly plant them in the garden.

Leek is a herbaceous plant that came into our gardens from the regions of Western Asia. Its cultivation began in the times ancient egypt, and already in the Middle Ages, the plant gained popularity throughout Europe. Currently, the culture is grown in all corners of the world.

The leek is a herbaceous biennial plant whose height varies from half a meter to a meter. In the first year of development, the culture forms a powerful, branched rhizome, a false bulb, a false stem, covered with a fan of linear-lanceolate leaf plates of green color. In the next season, a two-meter peduncle develops at the leek in the first half of summer, crowned with an umbrella inflorescence of white or pink flowers. Seeds, almost like onions, ripen in late summer or early September and remain viable for a two-year period.

Many varieties of leeks are divided into 3 groups according to the ripening time:

1. Summer - the growing season is 130-150 days, during which legs weighing up to 350 g are formed.
2. Autumn - varieties ripen in 5-6 months. The mass of legs in 200 g is inferior to early varieties, but the quality of the stems is much better.
3. Winter - for the maturation of late varieties, the productivity of which is at the level of mid-ripening forms, more than 180 days are required. Winter varieties due to the dense structure of the legs are best suited for storage.

Summer or early

Among the varieties of early ripening stand out:

• "Columbus" - a variety bred by Dutch breeders, grows up to 80 cm, while forming a leg of 20 cm with a weight of 400 g, which does not need hilling for bleaching.
• "Vesta" is a productive variety up to one and a half meters in height, which, under the condition of systematic hilling, forms a bleached part up to 30 cm with a weight of 350 g.

Autumn or mid-season

Popular varieties of the group:

• "Jolant" is a variety resistant to fungal diseases with a stem up to 35 cm.
• "Tango" is a cold-resistant variety with high yields.

Winter or late

The best varieties of late ripening are the productive leek "Karantansky" and the drought- and frost-resistant "Elephant".

Growing leeks through seedlings

Cultivation of a crop through sowing seed directly into open ground is carried out only in the southern regions, while in other climatic zones the seedling method is used.

When to sow leeks for seedlings

The timing of sowing seeds may vary depending on the chosen location:

• the end of winter, the beginning of spring is suitable for sowing seeds at home;
• mid-April - for sowing in a greenhouse;
• end of April - when cultivating seedlings in a greenhouse on the ridges.

Rules for sowing at home

Seeds are sown as follows:

1. A container is taken, the depth of which should be at least 10 cm, and disinfected with a strong solution of manganese.
2. Seeds are kept in hot water (45°C) for 2 hours, after which they are washed with cold water and dried well.
3. The container is filled with a light substrate, on the surface of which the seeds are distributed.
4. The seed is crushed with a layer of sand of 0.5 cm.
5. Crops are covered with a film and kept at temperatures in the range of 22-25 ° C until sprouts appear.

Leek seedling care

The sown leek for seedlings gives the first shoots after 10 days, after which:

• Shelter is removed from crops.
• Seedlings are systematically moistened with warm water using a spray bottle.
• The container is moved to a well-lit place without direct sunlight.
• The temperature drops during the day to 18-20°C, and at night to 12-14°C.
• With thickened crops, seedlings are pulled through.
• When the seedlings get stronger, the seedlings are fed with complex mineral fertilizers.

Planting leek seedlings in open ground

In order for the selected varieties to demonstrate their full potential, it is necessary to approach planting seedlings in open ground with all seriousness.

Site selection and soil preparation

For the cultivation of leeks, a sunny area with loose, fertile soil of a neutral reaction is selected.

Soil preparation is carried out in two stages:

1. In autumn, the site is dug up with the simultaneous application of 30 g of azofoska, 10 g of urea and 5 kg of compost per 1 m2.
2. With the advent of spring, humus is scattered across the territory with a norm of 3 kg per 1 m2.

Then you can plant leeks

The optimal predecessors for the plant are legumes (soybeans, beans, peas), nightshade (tomatoes, potatoes) and cruciferous (cabbage, radish) crops. If onions were grown on the site, regardless of the species, then the territory will not be suitable for planting leeks for another 3 years.

Planting dates for leeks

Leek planting is carried out in the evening or on a cloudy day in the first half of May, when the seedlings reach two months of age.

Planting technology

After hardening the seedlings by moving the seedlings to fresh air during the daytime, you can start planting them:

1. On the prepared site, grooves are made 10-15 cm deep with row spacings from 20 to 30 cm.
2. Seedlings, with roots shortened by ⅓, fall into the grooves while maintaining a distance between specimens of 10 to 25 cm, depending on the height of the variety.
3. The grooves are not completely covered with earth.
4. The soil is compacted with abundant watering.

The nuances of sowing before winter

Regardless of the climatic features of the region, it is possible to sow seeds in open ground before winter.

When choosing this method:

1. In the summer, the site is dug up and fertilized.
2. After the first frost, grooves are prepared in which seeds are sown at intervals of 8-15 cm.
3. Crops are mulched with peat, and then covered with snow, the melting of which will well replenish the soil moisture reserves necessary for the full growth of the crop.

Attention! When sowing in winter, it is necessary to carefully monitor the weather so as not to rush to plant seeds, which, with a prolonged warm autumn, will have time to sprout.

Leek care outdoors

Caring for a crop involves the implementation of standard procedures familiar to every gardener, but with certain nuances.

loosening

The procedure is carried out twice a month. After the stem of the plant reaches the diameter of a pencil, with each loosening, a little soil is added to the grooves, taken out during planting. After the beds are aligned with the general relief of the site, you can proceed to the next procedure - hilling.

Hilling and mulching

Hilling plants is necessary 4 times during the growing season, which will achieve the main goal of growing leeks - getting a bleached stem.

After each hilling, the beds are mulched with straw or dry grass.

How to water correctly?

Watering begins 4 days after planting seedlings in open ground. The culture is moistened every 5 days with a consumption rate of 10-15 liters of water per 1 m2.

Fertilizer and top dressing

During growth, the leek is fed 3-4 times with:

1. mineral fertilizers dissolved in water at the rate of 15 g of saltpeter and 20 g of potassium salt per bucket of water, which is enough to feed 4 m2.
2. solution of bird droppings in a ratio of 1:20.
3. wood ash with an application rate of 200 g per 1 m2.

Treatment for diseases and pests

If the crop rotation is disturbed, the onion is colonized by aphids, such an incurable viral disease as a mosaic develops on the culture, in which the plant lags behind in development and dies. Also, leek is often affected by fungal diseases - peronosporosis and rust. To stop the development of these diseases, plantings are treated with a fungicide in compliance with all the requirements specified in the manufacturer's instructions.

Among the pests, the greatest danger is the aphid, as a carrier of the mosaic, and the onion fly. Treatment of late and mid-ripening onion varieties against harmful insects can be carried out with insecticides. However, for early varieties to exclude the possibility of a pesticide residue in the onion that has fallen on the table, it is better to resort to using folk remedies. Good results are demonstrated by a tobacco infusion prepared from 20 g of liquid soap, 200 g of tobacco and 10 liters of water by infusing the solution for about 2 hours. The fly will help to scare away the pollination of the soil and plants with ground pepper, which will require up to 10 g per 1 m2.

Attention! Regardless of the chosen folk method pest control, the soil after the procedure must be loosened.

Cleaning and proper storage of leeks

It is necessary to start harvesting leek on a dry day before the air temperature drops below -5 ° C:

1. Leek is dug up with a shovel and left on the bed to dry.
2. Then the onion is cleaned of the remnants of the soil so that it does not get between the leaf plates.
3. The roots are slightly shortened.
4. The crop is sent to storage along with the foliage.

Depending on the living conditions of the gardener, there are several storage options:

• In the cellar - a 5 cm layer of sand is poured into the box, on which the stems are vertically installed and sprinkled with the same sand. The shelf life with this method is 5-6 months.
• On the balcony - in a city apartment, a box with sand and stems can be installed on the balcony and well covered, which will extend its shelf life up to 5 months.
• In the freezer - for this method, only high-quality plants are used, in which the roots and leaves are cut off. The stems are cooled at 0°C and laid out in 7 pieces in cellophane bags, after which they are stored at a temperature of -5°C for up to 5 months.