Leeks and spring onions - help!

[Nicola_D]

Can anyone tell me if my leeks and pring opnions will be ok? I sowed them 2 weeks ago in a heated propagator and they sprouted within 5 days, I've taken them out of the prop now as they seemed floppy and not standing up. Will they be ok and get thicker and stronger?

(think I've attached some pics)

Nicola

[Kimby]

Hiya

I'm not an expert on either of these plants but I've consulted my book (aka my gardening bible!)

According to the book spring onions should be sown directly outside and leeks should've been planted out by the start of March. Obviously you need to go by the instructions on the seeds that you have but by the seems of it your problem is that both crops should be outdoors already. Would advise hardening them off asap and get them into the ground as soon as you can too to give them a fighting chance. If not sew directly outside.

Hope this helps

[Nicola_D]

Hmmm that's different to everything I've read so far, on the leeks it said to sow into seed trays and I've read that you should plant them outside into 6 inch holes when they are pencil sized. The spring onions came with a mini propagator and soil and said to start them off in there which I did. I thought maybe the heated prop was too much heat and drying them out a bit so I've got them just on the kitchen table now near the patio doors and I'll see what happens over the next few weeks, they're far from dead (I think )

[vegetable-gardener]

Actually for leeks you can do both. The shock of coming out of the propagator will make them flop - that's because they are quite weak initially. I have never heard of spring onions sown in a propagator but I am sure they'll be ok as well. Just make sure you cover them at night if it's cold.

[malcolmx]

both will be fine separate out the leeks and sow directly into long tom or tube pots allow to develop and plant out at end April . take spring onions and clump to together in 10s and plant into 5" pots grow on in pots and eat from pots sow out doors now and they will be ready later

[Nicola_D]

Thanks for all the advice, think I know what may have been wrong, when I put the soil in the module tray for the leeks I didn't firmit down and so I think the seedlings didn't have enough support from the soil to hold them straight. I've firmed it down now and added extra potting compost to fill the modules back up again and they look much healither now and some of the ones that hadn't germnated have now popped up too, plus they are starting to get little side shoots on the main blade. With the spring onions I just don't think I covered the seeds with enough soil, so they were practically on the top,one or two had rooted down into the soil but the others were kind of just laying there. I have transplanted the healither ones into a pot as suggested and started some more off, this time giving the seeds a better covering of soil and they've come up looking nice and strong and healthy.