Help! I bought 50 leeks to plant out which we did 3 days ago. I went on RHS advice to plant 20cm deep which we did. We trimmed the roots but not the tops, except a few that had gone a bit yuck (,I had them a few days in a box in a bucket). They were a bit bent from the box hut figured they’d sort themselves out. Just been down and still lying on the ground horizontally! I thought they may have perked up by now! I’m also worried I’ve not planted deep enough. Some UK site pics show tiny seedlings, chive sized, mine are more spring onion sized. I’m wondering if I should pull them all up and start again? Or cut off the long tops? Tomorrow we are due big rain so hoping that may perk them up! Any ideas @Wozza @JaneJones ? Anyone?
I always cut them before planting. They’re trying to grow roots so remove the green to a couple of inches high. Water well the first two weeks
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Exactly, cut their tops hard.
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And the same for Russell Brand…?
This how I plant leaks.
Dib holes using the 4 ‘´ x 8 ‘´ x 12 ´´ method, so in cm that’s 10cm deep, 20cm apart with each line 30cm from the other. I trim the roots and depending on the length of the leaves I cut about a 3rd, then water in. After planting they’re stressed and look limp they should start to pick themselves up in 3-4 days.
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I agree with everyone else! The size of your leek plants is just fine @toryroo and I trim the tops as well as the roots. The chap who sells them in our market showed us how to cut them - half the roots, about a third of the top, diagonally (I don’t bother if the tops aren’t stickking out of the holes) Then leave the holes open, dont fill with earth and fill up the holes with water a couple of times. Repeat that if it doesn’t rain for a while.
Thanks all, it has stopped raining so will go and chop their heads off 
Another leek question while I’m here, online reading seems to be very varied regarding when I can eat them. We tend to have a long, warm autumn here. UK sites seem to suggest that they won’t be ready until next year. In this climate am I likely to be able to start picking later this year?
I would have thought you could eat them as soon as they reach a size that make it worthwhile. For us here that does tend to be late winter but there’s nothing stopping you digging them up earlier if you want, as far as I know.
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We always end up with leeks starting to flower and turning into wood, so eats them!
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That’s why we planted fewer this year 
Eek didn’t know that could happen! I’ll make sure I keep an eye on them and freeze if they start!
How many do you plans Jane and @AngelaR ?
We usually plant 50. They don’t tend to get woody until spring. On the other hand, if you like having leeks for summer cooking, you can usually get summer leek plants from markets etc as well as winter ones. They are such a versatile vegetable
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We’ve done 50 too, hopefully about right. We love leek and potato soup!
With winter coming on here, I’m geared up to pot-roasting guinea fowl in red wine with a lot of leeks and mushrooms (and some garlic and carrots as well). Makes a lot of enjoyable meals plus, usually, extra sauce that gets reconfigured into soup with stock made from the bones 
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Yum!!! Sadly my other half isn’t keen on stew type things unless curry
AHA! That’s where it doesn’t look like stew. You basically pot-roast the pintade whole, but have the vegetables around it in an inch or two of wine. Then when cooked, you lift out the pintade and carve it, joint it as normal and serve with the veg and put the juice/sauce separately. It comes out like a very moist roast pintade
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