I found that Leek plants are rather "carnivorous" meaning they need a LOT of food to grow properly. I sowed them into flats last year but the plants never grew well and stayed pretty pale until they were planted in the ground.
This year I made a point to really "meat" their needs and feed them protein, in this case in the shape of milk rinses and whey. For a while we were feeding a goat bottle kid and had lots of bottle rinses left, together with our own yoghurt / soy / rice milk rinses, collected in a mason jar I gave all that to the little leek (and onion) plants. They grew like crazy! They grew so big and numerous that I had 100+ little plants left over after planting from only two flats & envelopes of seed...
I came to the idea when I read that houseplants like the rinses of milk bottles and then do not need commercial plant food. It seems to work! I've fed my plants left over cold tea which also works, but not as good as whey & diluted milk.
Zucchini, pumpkin and squash also like lots of extra feed, so I plan to keep saving whey etc to feed that to them over the summer and see what happens. If my chickens let me, that is :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment