Leek is one of the vegetable crops that has been known since ancient times. Today, this type of onion is distributed almost throughout the world. Especially a lot of it is grown by vegetable growers in Western Europe and America. And although growing leeks does not cause any particular difficulties, few of the gardeners I know have in their plots, believing that its useful properties are no better than ordinary onions. But this is not so.
In Belgium, for example, 10 kg of leek are grown per capita per year, in France - 6 kg, in Norway, Finland - 3-4 kg each. It is also grown in Russia, but the volume of cultivation is very limited, compared with Europe.
In Kuban, unfortunately, leeks have not yet found much recognition. Even among fans of exotic plants, it can be found very rarely. But in vain! After all, this type of onion surpasses the widespread onion in many respects. It is more productive than bulb. With normal care, you can easily get 400-500 kg / ha (4-5 kg per 1 sq. M).
Leek is not affected by peronosporosis (powdery mildew). Onions, especially in wet years, are very affected by peronosporosis, which reduces yield - such onions are poorly stored.
Leek does not form a real onion, like a bulb. For food, they use the lower bleached part before the leaves branch, which is called the leg or false bulb.
European cuisine uses leeks widely in soups, stews, and also fresh. It is a good source of dietary fiber. One hundred grams of onion contains only 125 calories.
Useful properties of leek
Leek contains 10-12 times more vitamin C than onions. In addition, its leaves contain 13-15% dry matter, so in winter it can be stored with leaves. If all vegetables and fruits during storage in the winter lose their nutrients, spending them on respiration, other vital processes, then leek is the only vegetable crop that, when stored, increases the percentage of nutrients by storing them in a snow-white leg due to their outflow from leaves.
So, when laying leek for storage, the leg contained 50-60 mg% of vitamin C, and after 3-4 months of storage it became 60-70 mg%. That is, its beneficial properties have increased.
Leek - a cold-resistant plant. Its leaves withstand frosts of -7-8 °, and therefore in the Kuban it can be used for food from open ground until late autumn (November-December) or in early spring, as soon as the soil thaws. Thus, using leeks from open ground, from storage places, you can make up for the deficiency of vitamin C in early spring, when there is an acute shortage of it. You haven’t wanted to grow leeks yet?
Leek has a high content of salts of potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, vitamins C, B1, IN2, E, PP, carotene. This plant contains an essential oil, which contains sulfur, which determines the specific aroma and peculiar taste of this dietary vegetable.
Due to the high sugar content (3.7-7.7%) - glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose - leek has a sweetish taste. Onion essential oil does not irritate the respiratory system, does not leave a heavy onion smell after eating. Therefore, some gourmets call the leek a noble onion, since after its use it is not a shame to go to the theater, cinema, to a concert.
The presence (up to 260 mg%) of potassium salts stimulates the activity of the kidneys and helps to eliminate fluid from the human body.Due to the favorable ratio of mineral salts, vitamins, and enzymes, the use of leeks increases the secretory function of the glands of the digestive tract, improves liver activity, increases appetite, and helps treat kidney stones, rheumatism, atherosclerosis, obesity, and physical and mental fatigue.
Leek contains a unique combination of flavonoids, sulfur-containing substances.
Doctors of antiquity highly appreciated its healing properties. Thus, the ancient Roman physician Amidovlat Amasiatsi writes the following: “Leek has welding and opening properties. It stops nosebleeds and opens up a blockage in the liver caused by mucus. Strengthens male power with sexual potency and makes seed abundant. But it is harmful to people with a hot nature. "
Distinctive features of leeks as plants
This is a perennial plant with a two-year development cycle. In appearance, it looks like broad-leaved garlic. In the first year after sowing, leek forms a rosette of leaves and a food organ - an elongated stem (leg) of light green or white color. The height of the legs depends on the variety and can range from 10 to 80 cm, with a diameter of 2-7 cm. The length, width of the leaves, their number depends both on the growing conditions and also on the variety. The length of its leaves ranges from 25 to 60 cm, and the width is from 3 to 10 cm.
Usually leek, when grown in the Kuban, forms 10-15 leaves. Leaves grow from a central growth point. Passing, like in garlic, inside the tubular bases, they form a dense stem - a leg. The leaves extend from the false stem in one plane fan-shaped. The average weight of one plant is 200-300 g.
In the second year of life, after wintering in the ground or storing uterine plants, planting them in the field, leek forms a high straight peduncle with a spherical umbrella. The number of flowers can reach thousands. The color of the corolla of the flower can be from white to dark purple. It blooms usually in July-August, the seeds ripen in late September-October. Seeds are smaller than that of onions.
At the base of the peduncles, sighting bulbs of silver-white color (the so-called pearl bow) are formed. From these bulbs planted in the soil, plants are formed again - the same as in the first year when growing leeks from seeds.
The whole variety of varieties, forms of leeks that can be grown in the Kuban, is divided into two groups: North European and South European. Two varieties of the North-European group — Karantansky, Sizokryl — are zoned in our Krasnodar Territory. They differ in a relatively short vegetation period (autumn forms). They are characterized by a thick short (15-20 cm) leg with a compact fan-shaped arrangement of green or gray-green leaves with a strong waxy coating.
These leeks are well preserved in the winter in storage or in the refrigerator. In the Kuban, they also winter well in open ground. They can be removed as necessary in late autumn and early spring, as soon as the soil is thawed. When hilling in autumn to the leaves, the plants withstand frosts to -20 °.
The South European group (it is often called the Bulgarian group) includes varieties with a high false stem (stem) - up to 60-70 cm, cylindrical in shape. The total height of the aerial parts of the plant reaches 1.5 meters. The leaves are narrow, light green in color, the wax coating is weak or completely absent. Leaves are located loosely, that is, between successive leaves on the false stem there are gaps. Varieties of leeks in this group are not hardy. In the Kuban, they are grown as an annual culture, harvested in the fall, before the onset of frost. We have a known variety - Bulgarian.
How to Grow Leeks
This is not only a cold-resistant plant, but also very demanding on moisture, soil fertility. It responds very well to the application of mineral, especially organic fertilizers.Since leek does not have a dormant period, and the vegetative mass increases until late autumn, water consumption is especially high in autumn. The optimum soil moisture should be at least 70-75% of PPV (maximum field moisture capacity). Irregular watering, drying out of the soil is unacceptable when growing leeks.
Unlike onions, on a site designated for planting, cultivating leeks, 100-120 tons of manure or 40-50 tons of humus, or 40-50 tons of humus, are applied per hectare for cultivation (digging). m - 10-12 kg of manure or 4-5 kg of humus.
In addition to organic fertilizers, mineral fertilizers are applied: 3-4 centners of phosphate, 2-3 centners of potash, 1.5-2 centners of nitrogen per 1 hectare, or 40, 30, and 20 g per 1 sq. m
When applying mineral fertilizers, you need to know that elevated doses of nitrogen fertilizers, although they increase the yield, but reduce storage time, the plants overwinter worse in the soil.
Leek can be propagated vegetatively, as well as seeds. With vegetative propagation, you can plant sighting bulbs (pearls) or air ones, like a multi-tiered onion, which sometimes form when growing seeds. With seed propagation, seedlings can be grown or directly sown seeds in the ground. The seedling method of planting is used when they want to get a crop of leek earlier. Or in the north of Russia, when commodity plants do not have time to form from the seeds sown into the ground by autumn.
Seedlings are grown in greenhouses, hotbeds, under temporary film shelters. When growing seedlings in greenhouses and hotbeds, the age of seedlings should be 60-70 days (2-3 real leaves should be formed).
Sowing seeds is carried out in the first decade of February. Seeds of leek swell for a long time, because of which its seedlings appear when sown with dry seeds later than other types of onions. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out the sowing with seeds that have emerged, then seedlings appear after 6-8 days.
For 1 square. m sown 12-15 g of seeds. Before the emergence of seedlings, the temperature is maintained at a level of 20-25 degrees, and then reduced by day to 18-20, at night to 10-12 degrees.
During seedling cultivation, it is fed 2 times at the rate of 20 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride per 30-40 g of superphosphate. Since superphosphate is difficult to dissolve, an extract is made 3-4 days before feeding. 7-10 days before planting, temperature-light hardening is carried out.
And 1-2 days before planting, seedlings are abundantly watered so that the root system is better preserved when sampling from the soil of a greenhouse or greenhouse. At the selected seedlings, the leaves are cut by 1 / 3-1 / 2. Seedlings are planted 1.5-2 cm deeper than it grew in the greenhouse.
Seedling planting schemes for growing leeks can be different, but the row spacing should be no less than 40-50 cm, since in order to obtain a gentle bleached leg, it is necessary to carry out an earthing up. The distance between plants is 10-15 cm.
To get a leek crop for autumn consumption and winter storage, sowing seeds should be carried out in early spring at the earliest opportunity to enter the site. If sowing is carried out with a seeder, then the best cultivation scheme is a three-line ribbon (40 +40 +60): 3, or single-row for 45 cm, as well as a two-line ribbon (50 + 20): 2. Sowing rate of 6-7 kg per 1 ha. During the formation of 2-3 real leaves, a breakthrough of 5-7 cm is carried out. According to our data, with this sowing scheme, you can get a high crop with good commercial qualities.
Leek can be sown in the summer - through July inclusive. By autumn, plants will have 4-6 leaves, the diameter of the stem is 0.7-1.2 cm. Pre-spouted with earth, leeks overwinter well. The next year, in May-June, you can harvest.
Leek care consists of weeding, regular watering and cultivating row spacing. In the second half of the growing season it is necessary to huddle it 1-2 times. This event will allow you to get a long, delicate, well-bleached leg.
Plants in the first period of life develop very slowly.Therefore, it can be sown together with more precocious crops (radishes, lettuce, watercress, etc.). Well proven, for example, the seed mixture of leek and onions. For 1 square. m sow a mixture (1 g of seeds) leek and early varieties of onions (Apogee, Early yellow).
At the end of July, onions are removed for greens. Leek, growing until this time relatively slowly, receives a sufficient area of nutrition, and, therefore, begins to develop intensively.
Leek Storage
It is laid for storage both for food purposes, as well as uterine plants, for receiving seeds. In the Kuban, November can be considered the optimal harvesting period. The plants are dug up with a shovel or pitchfork, shake the ground from the roots, put in boxes.
It is advisable that during the performance of these works, particles of soil do not fall between the leaves. Damaged, dirty leaves are removed from the collected plants, roots are cut, leaving them 1-1.5 cm long.
Leek can be stored in a vegetable store, basement or refrigerator. When stored in a vegetable storehouse or basement, plants are placed in rows close to the boxes at an angle of 50-60 degrees, sandwiching each row with wet sand with a layer of 4-5 cm.
When stored in a refrigerator, healthy leek plants are carefully selected, cooled to storage temperature, then packaged in plastic bags of 5-7 pieces (1-1.5 kg). Store at a temperature from minus 1 to plus 1 degree. At this temperature, the development of putrefactive microorganisms is delayed, the processes of respiration and evaporation of moisture slowly proceed.
If you put uncooled plants in plastic bags, then with a decrease in temperature, drops of condensate will appear on the inner surface, and this is a favorable environment for the development of diseases.
For a short time, leeks can be stored on the balcony, preventing the temperature from falling below 4-5 degrees below zero. But even if the plants are frozen, they are still suitable for cooking.
Many leeks can be prepared. It is a great addition to any dish. See how easy it is to decorate any leek salad.