Slow-Leak Leeks

I started growing leeks quite a white back now, probably not at the intended time and some were not paired with amicable companion pants.

The examples pictured above are nearly ready to be pulled. They were planted with golden and slow bolt beetroot (two plantings in each pot) and a late addition of some rocket in one of the pots.The leeks took so, so, so long to reach this stage that I nearly gave up. Unfortunately because the pots are fairly shallow the leeks themselves will not have a significant amount of bleached area. I was also too lazy to mound up the soil around them, or use the toilet roll method. Still they are homegrown leeks, and will be added to the pot fairly soon as part of a potato, leek and bacon soup for the balcony garden Sunday lunch!

I grew some other leeks, most noticeably some poorly placed ones pictured above which were planted at a much later date in a pot with two bush beans (can you see the lone leek trying to peak through in the rear of the above picture??) Not very good chums, the beans and the leeks, but they struggled on. You can see them in this picture below, the beans were rapidly growing but the leeks, being less than good companion plants for the beans were stilted in their growth. You can barely see them peaking through the bush beans.

I thought the leeks would be much happier when the beans were eaten and replaced with a tomato! Tomatoes and leeks have an ok working relationship and should at least get along quite well. Alas the leeks took one look at Mr Big Rainbow tomato and keeled over. A quick transplant of two of them seems to be promising and they have a largish pot all to themselves. The other three remain in the tomato pot and only a miracle and some sunshine will help them now.