The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

Sowing Leeks De Carentan 2 is the variety of leek you’ll find most commonly on the shelves.

In the spirit of getting a head start on things and trying to make sense of the weather, I’ve decided to sow some leeks.

The variety I’ve chosen is called De Carentan 2, which is a variety said to be ideal for novice gardeners.

De Carentan 2 is an old, French variety of leek dating back as far as 1885.

You can sow leek De Carentan 2 indoors from January, but the minimum temperature for germination is around 10 degrees.

Annoyingly, temperatures plummeted to -2 after I sowed these seeds, so I’m hoping this doesn’t cause too many complications.

To make the most of the space available, I am sowing the seeds in an 85 cell seed tray.

I’ve also searched high and low on the internet to see if you’re able to buy something similar online and the closest seed tray I’ve found is this product available to buy on www.groworganic.com.

Once these leeks have reached the size of a pencil (roughly) and assuming the temperatures are accommodating, I’ll look to transplant the seedlings outdoors.

These leeks can be used in a variety of dishes and area an all round staple in the kitchen.

Sowing Leeks De Carentan 2

Like any other seed tray, I first filled each cell with multi-purpose compost. Because there are so many cells to fill.

I then watered the tray to get everything even and to make sure that the second layer of compost on top didn’t brush off the seeds from each cell.

Leek seeds are quite fine, so it’s possible there’ll be cells with one or two seeds sown.

I can almost smell the leek and potato soup….

What leeks are you sowing? I’d love to know if you’ve grown Leeks De Carentan 2 before and what you thought in the comments below.