leek 'Musselburgh'
leek or Allium porrum 'Musselburgh'
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, neutral to slightly acidic sandy loam
A firm favourite with many veg growers, this big, sturdy leek is hard to beat for reliability. It produces its large, dense heads of dark green leaves hardy enough to stand even very cold winters: the medium long white shanks have an excellent flavour and can be left in the ground until you're ready to harvest. A heritage variety introduced in 1834. - Growing instructions: Sow direct into shallow drills in a well-prepared seedbed in spring, and thin seedlings to 1cm apart. When seedlings are about pencil thickness, transplant to their final growing place, leaving 15cm between plants. For the longest white stems, dib a hole for each plant 15cm deep and drop the seedling in before filling the hole with water. To make the white shanks as long as possible, heap soil up around the stems of the plants as they grow.
- Sow: March-April
- Harvest: October-January
- Approximate quantity: 425 seeds.
- Pets: TOXIC if eaten