Leek Musselburgh Seeds
Garden-fresh crops all winter long!
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Just £3.99
Key Features
Plant In Sunshine
Winter Hardy
Edible
Easy To Grow
Width: 30cm
Height: 45cm
Height: 45cm
- Reliable and hardy with superb resistance to pests and extremes of temperature.
- An enduring gardener’s favourite – easy to grow with a fine flavour and texture.
- A heritage variety grown in the UK since the 1830s.
- Healthy and hearty – a good source of vitamins, minerals, folate and fibre.
- Supplied as a packet of 500 (approx.) seeds ready for sowing indoors or outdoors.
Plant Calendar
Planting Time
Fruiting Time
Sowing Time
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Description
A superb all-rounder for reliability, hardiness and flavour, this heritage variety was first cultivated by Victorian gardeners in the Scottish town of Musselburgh after being brought over from France in the 1830s. Since then it has become a firm favourite all around the UK, particularly in colder regions where other vegetables may not thrive – great for picking from late autumn to early spring when little else is available to bring in from the plot to the plate. A shorter variety of leek, it has densely packed, sturdy stems with creamy white bases rising to dark green leaves at the top.
You won’t find Musselburgh leeks in the supermarket as their growing span is too long commercial production, but this variety will reward the home gardener many times over with plentiful crops of superb quality. These leeks are easy to grow, with good resistance to pests and extremes of heat and cold. They can be left in the ground until needed, although once picked they will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge. Musselburgh is a great choice for allotments, where the plants will happily fend for themselves right through winter, requiring little attention over a long season.
Whether picked early or left to mature, this versatile veg has a lovely sweet flavour and a firm but tender texture when cooked. Use young baby stems in salads and stir-fries and mature leeks for a great variety of dishes including soups, stews and quiches – and indeed in any dish where you would normally use onion. Having a ready supply of garden-fresh leeks will benefit your health as well as your palate – they are packed with nutrients, including vitamins A, B6, C and K, iron and magnesium, as well as being a good source of fibre and folate.
The seeds can be planted directly into their cropping position or started indoors for establishing early – providing baby leeks from as early as late summer. They germinate easily and establish well, with minimum maintenance required. Their compact habit makes them a great choice for small gardens where space is a premium. Choose a sunny, sheltered position, with fertile, well-drained soil. They can make an unusual feature in an herbaceous border, with attractive flowers and seed heads if left to grow.
Supplied as a packet of 500 (approx.) seeds ready for sowing indoors from January to February, or outdoors from March to April directly into a seed bed. Harvest from October to March, or even earlier for baby leeks. Grows to 45cm (18in) by 30cm (12in) spread.
Top Tips
- Apply high nitrogen fertiliser to your leek bed just prior to planting them out in summer to help them through a long growing season.
- Leave a handful of these leeks in the ground to flower and produce seeds for next year’s sowing.
Care Information
How to grow Musselburgh leeks
- Sow outdoors, March to April, thinly in a seed bed, 1.5cm (½in) deep, directly into finely prepared, well-cultivated, fertile soil that has already been watered. Seedlings usually appear in 14-28 days. Water well until plants are established. Transplant 15cm (6in) apart into 15cm (6in) deep holes made with a dibber. Allow 30cm (12in) between rows. Water seedlings but do not fill holes with soil. As plants grow, draw up soil onto them to improve length of blanch (white stem).
- Or sow indoors, January to February, 0.5cm (¼in) deep, in a tray of compost. Water well and place in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. Keep moist. Transplant 5cm (2in) apart to other trays when large enough to handle. Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions (avoid frosts), before planting out, May to July, into well-cultivated, fertile soil.
Harvest October to March, or earlier for baby leeks as required.
Delivery Information
Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. Pre-ordered items will be sent as soon as possible after the date quoted and we'll generally ship your entire order with your pre-ordered items. When your order is dispatched, we'll send you another email with details of how to track it.
Most orders are sent on a fully-tracked courier service with Yodel. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, no signature is required, and our courier is asked to leave your order in a safe place on your property.
We'll send a tracking link when we dispatch your order, so you know when its due to arrive. Please note, once delivered we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your property. If you have any specific delivery instructions, please let us know - there's an option to enter a short message for the courier at the checkout.
Smaller, lighter, single-item orders may be sent through the post with Royal Mail - in which case no tracking is available.
Our experienced nursery team will always send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive when you plant them, so although most plants are very tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme frosts or heatwaves, we avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme weather is forecast, or over Bank Holiday weekends.
Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.
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