Leeks have not yet found such popular love in our country as in European cuisine. Once you add it to the first, second courses, cold appetizers, the popularity of leeks immediately becomes clear: a pleasant, not too pungent taste, light aroma. It turns out that leeks are not difficult to grow.
To decide for yourself whether or not to grow leeks, it should be noted that this plant is not only tasty, but also healthy. Due to the high content of protein, fiber, sugar, vitamins, mineral salts and a small amount of essential oils, this product is indispensable in dietary nutrition. It is perfectly stored all winter in a cool place, accumulating ascorbic acid. Leeks activate metabolism, replenish the reserves of vitamins and minerals in the body, and add a special piquant flavor to dishes. When purchasing seeds, you need to pay attention to the onion variety - they distinguish between early ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. If an early ripe leek variety can be safely sown in open ground in early spring to get salad greens, then late ripening varieties are perfect for winter storage.
Experienced gardeners are advised to grow leek seedlings. In mid-March, the seeds should be soaked in hot water for half an hour, rinsed and wrapped in a damp cloth. Thus, the seeds are being prepared for planting, the fabric must be moistened from time to time, and after a week, an onion can be sown. It is recommended to sow the seeds at a distance of 2 cm from each other, the optimum air temperature is from 14 to 20 ° C. After 50 days, the seedlings are ready for planting on the beds.
Before planting the beds, you need to prepare: fertilize with compost, add mineral fertilizers, for example, urea, and dig up the ground to a depth of 20 cm.It is recommended that each plant shorten the root and leaves by a third before planting. We plant seedlings in grooves 10-12 cm deep at a distance of 20-25 cm.It is important to remember that after planting the leeks cannot be watered for three days, after which we water once every five days, it will not hurt to feed the plants with mullein, urea, superphosphate after watering. Such care will help leeks grow strong and healthy, delighting the eye with elastic green stems.
You can taste the fresh onion in the fall, its white stem and flat, like garlic, leaves have a pleasant taste and aroma. But it is better to leave the leek for the winter, covering it a little with dry straw and spruce branches. In the second year, the leek will gain even more strength, its juicy stem will delight you with its impressive size and excellent taste.
In the second year, the leek will bloom beautifully, its pinkish-purple inflorescences rise in elegant balls above the green leaves. When the onions have bloomed, you need to wait until the seeds are ripe in order to sow them next year. However, these seeds do not lose their germination for three years.
Leeks do not require huge efforts to grow, but their high nutritional value, pleasant smell, mild taste will surely please everyone who knows a lot about healthy and tasty food.
