The other day, when I wrote about a couple of my Leeks having bolted, a friend suggested in a comment that it might be worth cutting them down and seeing if they would re-sprout. I thought this would be worth a try - after all, there was nothing to lose. This is the result:
The flower-stalks have continued to grow, but as you can see, some new leaves have appeared too.
Here's another - THE other, because there were only two that needed the treatment.
The stalks had grown about another four inches since I cut them, so I have now trimmed them down again, in the hope that their energy will be diverted to leaf growth.
I'm not sure whether this is going to result in anything worthwhile, but as they say there's only one way to find out... Has anyone else has success with this technique?
It'll be interesting to see how it works out.
ReplyDeleteIf it works maybe you will have invented a new way of harvesting links so that they grow again. Cutting them off rather than digging them up :-)
ReplyDeleteI have been doing this for years Mark - some of my leeks have been in the ground for at least four years - they are never quite as t hick as the original leeks but still perfectly edible.
ReplyDeleteJust as with your experiments with capsicum you are dealing with a perennial plant Mark (although leek normally grows as a biennial)
ReplyDeleteMine frequently get left in as a result of neglect and they sprout again. I don't find they do very well and usually bolt in early spring.
Some varieties produce small plants at the base and I understand that sometimes they are grown on in Winter in greenhouses to eventually make huge leeks for the traditional north east leek shows