Why don't my leeks have a lot of white?

Leek white is particularly appreciated by many consumers of this vegetable commonly grown in the garden. Perhaps you are having difficulty harvesting advantageously sized leek blanks. For this coveted area to benefit from the best possible development, it is important to ensure that certain rules are respected.

Placing the leeks

When you want to grow leeks in your vegetable garden, you can use different methods. You can make seedlings or buy plants directly from a garden center. To obtain leek plants from your own seedlings, however, you must be patient, as two months are necessary before you can transplant them. In this case, it may be wise to follow a . The advantage of this method, however, is that you have a much wider variety of choices when it comes to species. 

If the leek plants are in the same container, it is in your best interest to soak them all, so that they can be separated from each other without too much effort. Next, we proceed to “dressing” the leeks, an operation which consists of removing part of the root system up to 2 cm and half of the foliage. 

You then obtain small leek plants which will then be easier to plant. In addition, reducing the root system will have the effect of encouraging the appearance of rootlets, and therefore, allowing leek plants to root more effectively in the soil. Leeks are transplanted by making holes using a suitable tool, and watering must be done before planting the small leeks. Of course, don't forget to bring some compost.

Methods to promote the growth of leek whites

Once the leeks are ready to be planted, you can prepare their location in the garden using a serfouette. Simply dig a line approximately 10 to 15 cm deep, and then install the plants there, spacing 10 cm apart. The leeks themselves should be planted at a depth of approximately 6 cm. During their development, we will gradually bring the earth around the leek. By doing so, we will encourage a large part of the plant to turn white underground, in fact the result of exposure to suppressed light. At the same time, it will be beneficial to avoid leaving the earth bare by implementing mulch according to permaculture principles, so that the earth retains humidity. 

In addition, unwanted weeds will have much more difficulty growing with this process. A regular supply of nettle manure will also be very appreciated by the leek plants, and their development will be even better. After a few weeks, we can finally proceed to hilling up the leeks. In short, the application of all these steps will maximize the chances of obtaining a white leek of appreciable length.