Overwintering leek + horse manure

[Dieter]

I pass several smaller hobby gardens on my way to work, and they all have two things in common: their owners are all definitely advanced in the “grey hair zone”, and they all applied horse manure to their winter leek in January. At first, I thought this was to fertilize the soil, but apparently, this is not the prime reason. It rather serves to increase soil temperature, so that at freezing temperature the leek can still be (easily) removed from the soil. Is this is a “Standard Operating Procedure” from older times, or still very current?

[Neilfrazerm]

Hi Dieter, this makes perfect sense, but living where we do near London, the ground freezes so infrequently it is not really necessary.. I guess things are different on the continent.
Neil

[Cleansweep]

Another well-proven method is to lift a dozen or so leeks and simply plonk them in a bucket with the soil attached, and take them home. This will hold them from withering up until used.

[charles]

Thanks for the observations and reasons for doing this, I would add another.
My main aim is to keep soil fed and mulched, so if the soil between rows of leeks had no organic matter on the surface by late autumn, I would spread compost (which might be old horse manure) between the rows.
My aim is not to feed the plants, but to feed soil organisms.
The result is good also for softening the surface and making it easier to pull leeks in freezing weather. Then after harvests and coming into spring, the ground is ready for a new sowing or planting, without having to rush to do that in spring.
So it’s also time management. Everything interlocks in a pleasing way.

[Rhys]

Dieter

I have found that a leaf mulch is very good at protecting standing beetroots from frost, allowing you to leave them in the ground until you want to harvest them.

[Author]

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