Leek growing seedlings. We provide onions with moisture: frequency and volume of watering

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

Leeks, or pearl onions, are an ancient crop widespread throughout the world, but they appeared in Russia only in the last century. Currently, leeks rank third in popularity after garlic and onions.

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

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

To quickly obtain seedlings, 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 the point of flowability, to make it easier to sow) and sown immediately.

The preparation methods described apply to 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 leek seedlings

In the southern regions, leeks are grown without seedling method: seeds are sown directly into the ground after May 15th.

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

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

The prepared seeds are sown in small boxes with moisturized soil soil in rows every 5 cm. The depth of the furrow for sowing is 1-1.5 cm. The crops are covered with 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, the seedlings are kept for one week. After which the temperature is brought to +17...+20°C during the day and +10...+14 °C at night and maintained at this level throughout the entire period of growing the seedlings.

Compliance temperature regime – important condition to get a harvest. High temperature during the seedling period, it is dangerous because it contributes to the formation of a flower arrow not in the second year of the plant’s life (as it should be), but in the first.

After a month, the thickened seedlings are thinned out so that the distance between neighboring plants in the row is 2-3 cm. Seedlings are planted in pots with a diameter of 4 cm.

The best results are obtained by growing seedlings in peat pots, since in this case picking is not required.

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

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

Before planting, leek seedlings, like other crops, begin to be gradually hardened, that is, taken outside so that the plants get used to normal, rather than indoor, 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

Most suitable soils for leeks - light fertile loamy with a neutral environment.

When preparing a site for growing leeks in the fall, you can add about 6 kg of compost per 1 m2 of soil to the bed. In spring, you can add humus or compost to the garden bed (about 3 kg per 1 m2). Just do not dig the bed under any circumstances.

Good predecessors for leeks are potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, legumes and cabbage crops.

Leek seedlings are planted in the garden bed in May.

Immediately before boarding permanent place For seedlings, it is recommended to shorten the leaves and roots by 1/3. Plant roots can be dipped in mash - a mixture of clay and mullein taken in equal quantities. This technique improves the survival rate of seedlings.

To plant leek seedlings, prepare holes 10-13 cm deep, at 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 soil, filling the hole halfway and watered.

For leeks use following diagrams landings:

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

It is better to grow leeks on, however, this applies to most vegetables. In wider row spacing you can sow, for example, carrots. These two vegetables go well together. Leeks are 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 it to make your work easier, as well as to provide the plants with more comfortable conditions.

When the plant stems reach the diameter of a pencil, soil 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 up the plants during watering.

Leeks are quite demanding when it comes to watering and soil fertility. Regular and abundant watering and fertilizing are carried out in the first half of the growing season. Good fertilizers- this is bird droppings and mullein, used 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 stem, also called the “stem.” At proper care the stem reaches up to 50 cm in length and up to 3-4 cm in thickness.

Leeks are a cold-resistant crop. Adult plants can withstand frosts down to -5...-7°C and in areas with mild climates can overwinter under snow cover in open ground. However, cold and rainy summer leads to the formation of a short and thin stem.

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

That’s probably all I wanted to tell you about growing and caring for leeks. You can also read how to harvest this onion and how to store it here on the website.

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, starting from sowing seeds, and I think you can grow good harvest this bow.

Have a good harvest!

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

The leek is a giant among other onions. Some of its varieties reach a meter in height. Traditionally, a lot of leeks are grown in the south of Ukraine, the Baltic states and Transcaucasia. In Russia it is just gaining popularity.

The main edible part of the vegetable is the bleached false stem, consisting of leaf sheaths. The length of this part of the plant can reach 50 cm. Young leek leaves - wide, ribbon-shaped - can also be used for food. As they mature, they will become coarser and tasteless.

Adding leek to food makes it tasty and digestible. Onions do not have a pungent odor, they have a delicate aroma and delicate taste. The bleached part of the leek is sweetish, so it can be eaten by people with diseases of the digestive tract

Requirements for growing conditions

Leeks are part of the group of sweet Spanish onions, along with shallots, onions, batun, multi-tiered and chives. The birthplace of culture is the northern and south coast Mediterranean Sea. Hence the temperature requirements - the plant is cold-resistant enough to tolerate a short-term drop in temperature to -5, sometimes up to -10 degrees and a long-term drop to -1... -2 degrees.

The optimal temperature for photosynthesis in leeks is the same as for other vegetables of Mediterranean origin - it ranges from +17... +23. Leeks grow poorly at temperatures above +30 degrees.

Temperature range for leek

The optimal soil acidity for the crop is 6.8-6.0.

Like all onions, leeks are a rosette plant, but unlike the tubular leaves of leeks and turnips, leek leaves have a linear, braid-like shape.

Leek is a biennial. In the first year, leaves are formed, in the second - the storage organ (bulb) and seeds.

Despite exotic look leek is cold-resistant. In areas where there is a lot of snow, for example in Siberia, it can successfully winter right in the garden bed. The next year the plant will produce a bulb and seeds.

The state register includes 27 varieties suitable for cultivation in all regions of Russia, including Siberia and Far East. In seed stores you can buy seeds of the following varieties:

• Alligator– medium late, weight of the bleached part 300 g, yield 3.5 kg sq. m;
• Karantansky– late ripening, weight of the bleached part 300 g, semi-sharp taste;
• elephant trunk– mid-season, summer-autumn in ripening, mass of the productive part 150 g, yield more than 4 kg per square meter. m.

Preparing for landing

Due to the length of the growing season, in most regions of the Russian Federation, leeks are grown by seedlings. Only in the south can it be sown with seeds in open ground. Plants sown directly into the garden are more hardened and can more easily withstand drought and cold weather.

It is better not to overgrow seedlings. The highest yield is achieved when planting 30-40-day-old plants. When planting 50-day-old seedlings, you may lose yield, since its roots will be damaged during transplantation.

By the time of planting in open ground, good seedlings are 15-20 cm long, 3-4 true leaves and 0.3-0.4 cm in diameter.

Beyond the Urals, seeds for seedlings are sown on March 15, at middle lane no later than March 1st. Planting containers cover with peat mixed with diammophoska (40 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of substrate).

Table: mode of growing seedlings

Leeks are returned to their original place no earlier than after 3-4 years. The best predecessors crops:

• legumes;
• cruciferous;
• Solanaceae;
• pumpkin

Leeks are demanding of moisture and fertility. Loamy and floodplain soils with a pH close to neutral are suitable for growing the crop. The soil is prepared in the fall - they dig it with a shovel and apply mineral fertilizers. Add 100 g of diammofoska per meter of bed. Fertilizer can be applied later - with irrigation water.

Seeds are sown in the garden at the beginning of the first field work. Seedlings are planted 2 weeks later. The first date for planting seedlings in open ground is May 15.

Leeks are grown in multi-line ribbons with a distance between lines of 30 cm and between plants in a row of 10-20 cm. Largest harvest(4-5 kg) is obtained when 40 plants are planted per square meter.

In the first half of summer, onions develop slowly, so fast-growing vegetables can be sown between the rows: spinach, kohlrabi, radishes, carrots.

To extend the period of consumption of fresh produce, summer sowing of leek seeds in open ground is used. In such plants, only young leaves are eaten.

Care

Caring for leeks is almost no different from caring for onions. The only difference is that you need to hill the plants 2-3 times, covering the lower part of the leaves with soil. This technique ensures whitening of the false stem.

Plant care includes:

• 2 fertilizing with complex fertilizers;
• chemical treatment in May against onion fly;
• 2 hillings - at the end of June and at the end of August;
• weeding;
• watering.

Fertilizers

The crop removes an average amount of nutrients from the soil, which is due to the small volume of the root system. At the same time, leeks need high soil fertility, as they need to form an impressive above-ground mass. Particularly demanding on nutrition early ripening varieties, quickly forming a harvest.

Leeks are responsive to organic matter, but it must be introduced in the fall or under the previous crop. Regarding mineral fertilizers, most of all leeks require potassium. Nitrogen is in second place, phosphorus is in third.

Phosphorus promotes education powerful roots. Potassium improves taste. Nitrogen fertilizing promote leaf growth.

All fertilizing is stopped a month before harvesting so that the taste of the products does not deteriorate.

Watering

The crop is sensitive to lack of moisture in the soil. The soil in the garden should always be slightly moist.

During drought, leaf growth stops. If you water the onion at this time, pouring it onto square meter at least 2 buckets of water, growth will quickly resume.

Very effective drip irrigation, allowing you to keep the soil in the root zone constantly moist. You can use furrow irrigation.

When to Harvest

Leek has no physiological dormancy and grows intensively throughout the entire growing season, which can be up to 220 days. Harvest this green onion.

Leeks are 2-3 times more productive than onions.

In the first half of summer, leeks produce bunches. Onions begin to be selectively harvested when they have formed 4-5 true leaves. In the middle zone, leek harvesting ends at the end of October. Some of the onions can be left in the soil and removed in the spring.

Early ripening varieties can be harvested 130-150 days after emergence. The first digit means technical ripeness and selective cleaning, the second is the time when mass cleaning is carried out.

Plants during harvesting:

• lightly dig with a shovel;
• carefully removed from the ground;
• shake the soil;
• leaves are cut by 2/3;
• dried.

Harvest in Siberia

Mid-season varieties have a growing season of 150-170 days. In Siberia they are harvested in the second half of September.

Late varieties with a growing season of 170-200 days are recommended only for cultivation in the south and middle zone. When sowing them in Siberia, you may not get a significant harvest.

How to store leeks

In the fall, the dug up leek can be buried in a greenhouse or cellar. At low positive temperatures, onions can be stored in storage for 3-4 months, while the content increases by 2 times.

Leeks are an indispensable part of many dishes, the powerful master of our vegetable gardens and greenhouses. This plant is rich in vitamins and useful substances, the agricultural technology of its cultivation is extremely simple. What is the principle of sowing? The seeds are pre-soaked in water for about thirty minutes, after which they are left on a damp cloth for two to three days. This method is suitable both for planting seedlings and for planting seeds in the soil itself in the beds. Agree, it’s simple and accessible to everyone.

Leeks are rich in vitamins and nutrients.

It is better to take seeds that have been sitting for two to three years; planting agricultural technology here must be strictly observed. Special attention When growing seedlings, attention must be paid to pests and diseases to which onions are susceptible.

Planting leeks for seedlings

Leeks reproduce in two ways: perhaps successful cultivation from seeds or using seedlings. In this case, the sowing method depends on where exactly the onion will be grown. So, for the southern regions, planting from seeds is also excellent, but for the northern and central regions the use of seedlings is recommended.

Planting onions is done in this way:

• seeds are planted in seedling boxes in February (you can place them on windowsills);
• Growing seedlings from seeds begins in mid-April (for glass greenhouses), at the end of April (for beds under film).

The depth of each groove in boxes for seedlings of leek seeds should be up to 2 cm. It is recommended to pre-fertilize the soil for onions.

Growing from seeds is carried out using the following technology:

1. The prepared soil is moistened, the distance between the rows should be 5 cm.
2. The depth of each groove in the seedling boxes should be 1-1.5 cm.
3. Seeds (it is better to take seeds that have been sitting for 2 years, even for seedlings) are sown in the soil, the box is covered with film and placed in a well-lit place at a temperature of +22-25°C.
4. When the first shoots appear, the film can be removed, the temperature drops to 20° during the day, and to 14° at night.
5. After a month, the seedlings need to be thinned out; the seedlings should be planted in pots with a diameter of up to 4 cm. Planting the seedlings in the ground begins in May; before this, it is recommended to shorten the roots and leaves of the prepared seedlings by about 1/3. To ensure excellent seedling survival, it is recommended to dip the roots in a mixture of mullein and clay in equal proportions. Growing from seeds is organized a little differently. It is recommended to pre-fertilize the soil for onions. It’s great if garlic, onions, carrots and cucumbers grew on it before. Growing from seeds itself is simple; the planting scheme is as follows:

• the planting depth of each seed is up to 2 cm (for seedlings this value increases slightly);
• diagram - 15x25 cm.

Return to contents

Rules of care: secrets of experienced gardeners

The agricultural technology for growing leeks is quite simple, but it still needs to be followed exactly so that the plant becomes strong, healthy and tasty. The most careful care is necessary at the beginning, immediately after planting, then things will go much easier.

First and foremost important rule- carefully monitor that there are no weeds in the beds. Get into the habit of not only watering, but also checking the beds, removing all the weeds that appear on them.

The soil must be kept moist and not allowed to dry out, but you should not create a swamp either.

During the season, it is necessary to hill up the plants two to four times in order to get a long, white leg; after each hilling, the leek, or rather the soil around it, is mulched with chopped straw, dry crumbly manure, and mown and slightly dried grass.

Onions do not tolerate fertilizers containing nitrogen, so you should be careful when choosing fertilizer.

Leeks have one distinctive feature: its growth does not slow down, it can grow even when put in the basement for the winter. Therefore, it is necessary to provide him with constant feeding. It is recommended to start doing this after the plant reaches 15-20 cm and has four to five leaves.

Agricultural technology allows you to use the following composition: take 1 liter of mullein for 10 liters of ordinary water. The resulting solution is watered between the rows, and then the soil along each bed. You can’t pour liquid on plants; onions don’t tolerate it very well. But this composition is suitable for poor soils; if the soil was previously well fertilized before planting, then you can get by with watering using infusions of freshly cut herbs such as nettle.

Attention! When feeding leeks, do not use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, as the onions can simply rot, especially if they are stored in the cellar for a long time!

Proper agricultural technology is very strict when it comes to watering plants. Bow requires abundant watering, especially at a time when there is an intensive accumulation of green foliage mass (which occurs in June), during the formation of a false bulb (in July). The soil in the beds should always be moist, but not wet or dry, this must be monitored.

Leeks are harvested late autumn, but if the winter is not too cold, then you can leave the plants on the ground; onions are quite winter-hardy. In the middle zone, it is recommended to sprinkle it with pine spruce branches, straw, and light peat. In the spring, it begins to actively grow, at a time when the rest of the greenery has not even been planted yet.

Return to contents

Diseases and pests of leeks

When growing leeks, problems such as onion fly, black mold, fusarium, neck rot, onion rust, and downy mildew are possible. Let's take a closer look at what lesions and pests can harm plantings:

1. Mosaic is viral disease leeks, which are carried by common aphid. At the same time, spots appear on the leaves yellow and longitudinal shape, the onion stops growing. There are no measures to combat this disease; all affected plants are destroyed. Can only be carried out preventive measures against aphids and ticks. It is also recommended to grow from seeds that have already been sitting for 2-3 years, during which time the virus has time to completely die.
2. False powdery mildew It is an oval, fast-growing, whitish spot. Leeks that are affected by this disease become inedible; all affected plants must be removed; those remaining in the beds are recommended to be sprayed with a solution of phytosporin and copper oxychloride. Excellent prophylactic against this disease is correct agricultural technology.
3. Leaf rust manifests itself in this way: on the foliage you can see clearly visible bright yellow pads, which are clusters of fungal spores. These pads gradually mature, become dark, and then turn black. All leaves that are infected begin to dry out. Affected plants must be immediately removed from the garden bed and destroyed so that fungal spores do not spread to neighboring plants in the garden.
4. Of the pests, leeks are most often affected by the onion fly, which eats the leaves, leaving large, light passages in them. Fly larvae also cause a lot of trouble, they seriously affect underground part plants. As a result, if no measures are taken in time, the onion will simply die. To repel flies, it is recommended to grow carrots nearby; the insect strongly dislikes its specific smell. The onion itself should be watered with the following solution: take one full glass for 10 liters of water table salt, after which the beds are watered at the root. It is recommended to sprinkle the soil itself with ground carrot or pepper seeds (a full teaspoon per 1 sq.m.), wood ash (100 g/sq.m. each).

Many summer residents want to have leeks on their plot; their cultivation and care are carried out taking into account certain features. The plant successfully adapts to any conditions and is widespread in the world, mainly in temperate climate. The crop is valued as a significant supplier of vitamin C.

Leeks - description

Garden leek is a herbaceous biennial with a height of 0.4 - 1 m. From a false tuber it grows a white stem at the bottom (the most valuable part of the plant with a delicate taste) and large number long lanceolate leaves arranged fan-shaped. Their color is emerald or bluish. In the second year of life, the plant develops a milky peduncle, and the seeds ripen and remain viable for two years. Leeks are cold-resistant; they are grown in the south by planting seeds in the ground, and in the north by seedlings. The crop loves moisture and overwinters when insulated with sawdust or peat.

Leeks - varieties

The technology for growing leeks allows you to obtain types of different ripening times:

1. Early- collected in August - early September, matures in 150 days, leaves are not wide, up to 3 cm in diameter.
2. Late- the crop ripens in October, grows for 180 days, the legs are wide up to 7 cm in diameter.

The best varieties of leeks, growing and caring for which will not cause any special problems:

Leeks - planting and care

In many areas you can have your own leek; cultivation and care are done from seeds or using seedlings, depending on the region. The soil in the cultivated bed needs to be neutral. To do this, add lime to acidic soil, and peat to alkaline soil. In autumn, the bed is fertilized with manure - 6-8 kg per 1 sq.m. The predecessors of the crop should be potatoes, eggplant, and pumpkin. Sun-loving leeks, sowing and growing are carried out in an open area, with plenty of light, away from trees. In spring, humus is distributed on the ground - 3 kg per 1 sq.m.

Growing leeks through seedlings

IN temperate latitudes leek seedlings are used, their cultivation begins with the following terms:

• mid-February - in special boxes on the window;
• mid-April - in the greenhouse;
• end of April - under cellophane in the garden.

Rules for caring for seedlings:

• the process requires boxes or cassettes made of peat;
• Before planting, the grains are germinated on damp gauze for 2-3 days;
• the seeds are buried 1 cm, planted in rows at intervals of 5 cm from each other, with a step between seeds of 2 cm;
• before their germination, watering is carried out every day (without stagnation of water);
• For the first time, the box is covered with cellophane and placed in a place with conditions of +22-25°C;
• at the age of four weeks the greens are planted in pots; by the end of April the seedlings need special care- illuminated by lamps. When growing seedlings in peat pots no transplant required;
• The temperature level after germination of seedlings is 20°C during the day and not higher than 14°C at night. If the room is always hot, then the flower arrow will form in the first year, and not the next;
• planting in the ground is carried out in the last ten days of May - early June (60 days after sowing), with the establishment of stable heat;
• the roots are dipped into a clay mash, and each specimen is separately deepened 10 cm into the prepared hole.

Leeks - growing from seeds

In the southern regions, the crop is planted on open area. When asked when to plant and grow leeks from seeds, summer residents give advice to sow after May 15th. The beds are fertilized in the fall and covered with black film to warm them up. The seeds, kept for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate and germinated for 2-3 days on a damp cloth, are planted in the ground in 15x15 cm rows. The planting is moistened and covered with cellophane until shoots emerge. Sometimes leeks are sown in winter in November, then the area is thoroughly covered with peat, sawdust, and then covered with snow. Shoots will appear in the spring.

Leek care

Growing planted leeks and caring for seedlings include a set of traditional procedures - systematic watering, weeding, clearing beds of weeds, fertilizing, protection from diseases. Additional procedures for cultivating the plant, allowing you to obtain a bleached stem, which is the main achievement of the bush:

1. The crop is hilled three times during the growing season. They begin to sprinkle the bush additional layer soil in mid-summer, this care is important after watering, then the leek is mulched with straw or dried grass.
2. Loosening is carried out once every two weeks. After the onion stem reaches the size of a pencil, fluffing is combined with hilling.
3. To protect the crop from onion flies, the area is sprinkled tobacco dust or ash, carrots are planted nearby.
4. To combat fungal diseases (rust,) phytosporin is useful. Prevention of leaf mosaic is carried out by using disinfected seeds and removing weeds. The plant can be planted in one place no more than once every 4 years.
5. Harvest before the temperature drops to -5°C.
6. Store the stems vertically in a box with sand for up to six months.

Features of growing leeks - watering

Proper watering is the key to rapid growth of a plant that is sensitive to lack of moisture. Leeks - secrets of watering and growing:

• The seedlings cannot be moistened for the first three days after planting;
• during subsequent maintenance, watering is carried out once every five days, the rate of use of heated water is 10 liters per 1 sq.m of land;
• during drought, plant growth stops, but after watering (at least 20 liters per 1 sq.m.) it resumes;
• Stagnation of moisture in the beds should not be allowed - it destroys the roots;
• the most effective hydration of the plant is along the furrows;
• Mulching the rows helps retain moisture and protects the soil from weeds.

Growing leeks in the country - feeding

During the season, the crop is fed several times, but it is important to remember that the plant reacts poorly to nitrogen - it can rot, especially if stored for a long time. Leeks - feeding and care:

1. Three weeks after planting, you need to water the soil with a solution of 20 g and 15 g of potassium salt in 10 liters of water (the amount of fertilizing is enough for 4 sq.m of area).
2. Recharges are repeated every 2-3 weeks.
3. Leeks also respond well to organic matter - a solution (1:8) or bird droppings (1:20).
4. Before each hilling, add 1 cup to the ground. wood ash based on 1 sq.m of land.

Leeks - not very common here vegetable crop, although few vegetables can compete with it in taste and usefulness. Growing leek seedlings has recently gained considerable popularity among summer residents. Many people liked this vegetable taste qualities(delicate smell, spicy sweet taste) and the ability to easily adapt to different climatic conditions, give a rich harvest. In cooking, leeks are used both raw and canned, pickled, salted and dried. In addition to its pleasant taste, onions have beneficial medicinal properties.
But most leeks, which are sold at very high prices in supermarkets, are grown abroad. And on personal plots It’s rare to see a patch of leeks. And all because false information is being spread that this culture is very capricious, and that it is difficult to grow on your own. And this is completely untrue.
We fool around no less with ordinary onions, or with the same cucumbers - and do not refuse them. Now we will tell you how and when to sow leeks for seedlings, so that from the beginning of autumn you can feast on its succulent stems.

This two-year culture, which does not form bulbs, as we are used to, and the false stems that grow in the first year after sowing are valuable. In the second year, the onion produces a peduncle and forms seeds. Is it necessary to grow leeks for seeds in our conditions? Of course not. On sale you can buy the most productive varieties and hybrids that ultimately do not produce the same quality offspring.
Therefore, it is better to purchase your favorite variety and not waste time getting seeds, which is quite a problematic task. Moreover, leek seeds remain viable for 3 or even 4 years. And for those you don’t know the deadline, just soak them.
Leek stems with wide lower leaves are considered a delicacy in European and Asian cuisine. Americans love only the white part most of all, and the diameter should be at least 7 cm. Although, until autumn, the lower leaves are no less tasty than the stem. If you leave onions for the winter, a shoot will form, which is called victorious.
By the way, the inflorescence is very decorative and in Europe leeks are planted for seeds not in the garden, but in flower beds. For the conditions of middle latitudes, the most suitable leek is the Karatntansky variety - see photo, which is the most frost-resistant of all.

The chemical composition of leeks includes a large amount of protein, vitamins B2, Bj, B, C, PP and minerals (calcium, potassium, iron, nickel, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, iron). Thanks to the high content ascorbic acid, carotene, potassium, and low content of pungent essential oils, this dietary product used to improve metabolism, increase appetite, increase immunity, and also to treat many diseases.
Used for diseases:

• rheumatism;
• kidney stones;
• obesity;
• salt deposition;
• gout;
• atherosclerosis.

How to grow leek seedlings?

Methods for growing onions: seedless method(direct sowing into the soil) and seedling method. Direct planting of seeds in the ground is used mainly in southern regions with long warm summers. Here the soil warms up faster. For other regions, growing onions with seedlings is more acceptable.

The best place to plant onion seedlings

Onions are grown as seedlings on well-cultivated lowland fertile soils, seasoned organic fertilizers. Slightly acidic or neutral soil is suitable. It can also be grown on well-moistened loamy and sandy soils. Unfavorable soils are heavy clay soils. To fertilize the land, superphosphate, potassium salt, compost, and urea are used.

Leeks: planting seeds for seedlings

The growing season of this crop is quite long, so onions must be planted in seedlings. There are some principles to consider when sowing seeds:

• Planting material must be soaked in warm water for approximately 25 minutes. Next, the seeds are left wrapped in a damp cloth for several days. This must be done regardless of the growing method; the procedure speeds up the emergence of seedlings.
• Sowing seeds for seedlings should not be done earlier than the start Martha.
• The soil for seedlings is prepared in advance. Turf soil with humus or peat is used as a soil mixture.
• The distance between the lines in the container should be no more than 5 cm, and the seeding depth should be about 1 cm.
• Boxes with seeds must be covered with film to maintain required level humidity and heat.
• When seedlings appear, the daytime temperature should be about 18 degrees, the night temperature should be 10 degrees.
• Seedlings need fertilizing, which is carried out twice using mineral fertilizers.
• Regular watering of seedlings is the key to growing strong and healthy seedlings.

Before planting leek seedlings in the garden bed, they need to be hardened off. To do this, a week before the intended planting, the temperature in the room is reduced, and containers with seedlings are taken out into the open air.

Growing onion seedlings from seeds

To grow onion seedlings from seeds, you should preparatory stage. It lies in special treatment seeds The seeds are placed in hot water 45, then cold. For fast germination The seeds are soaked for three days in warm water. After the seeds hatch, they are left to dry.

Caring for leek seedlings

Based on the conditions in which the seeds are grown, the first shoots may appear on days 10–20.
Leeks are a crop that requires moist soil. Therefore, you should ensure that the soil does not dry out. But at the same time, you should not over-moisturize.
Watering leek seedlings warm water, carefully so as not to damage the stem. But watering alone is not enough; the seedlings need to be fed. Fertilizer feeding can be done once, but two are better.
To strengthen root system and thickening of the stem, it is necessary to trim the leaves so that their length after trimming is 10 cm.
Immediately before planting the seedlings in the soil, it is necessary to gradually harden them, take them outside, while reducing watering. After six weeks, planting in open ground occurs.

Transplanting

Onion seedlings are planted in open ground at the end of April and until the beginning of May. Seedlings are planted in rows on a pre-prepared and fertilized area, going a little deeper than they were in the seedling boxes. The roots and leaves are slightly trimmed.