Last time I tried growing leeks, the returns weren’t spectacular. One or two of them would have qualified as small leeks and the rest didn’t get much beyond spring onion size. I wasn’t planning on trying again this year but then a neighbour gave us a tray of young plants. Technically it isn’t the right time of year to put them out in the allotment but they stand half a chance there and probably a better one than sitting in pots until I get a suitable space clear in the polytunnel.

If they don’t get destroyed by winter weather, they will probably be inclined to go to seed next summer… but there’s a small probability that I’ll find a window sometime in the spring to enjoy them at the table. Meanwhile, I do need to get on with two crops that definitely appreciate a late autumn or early winter start: garlic and broad beans.