Keith Foster owner of the company Exhibition Seeds is the breeder of the Pot Leeks Yorkshire Green, Yorkshire Blue and the new Yorkshire Giant, the Yorkshire Green is responsible for many of the championship wins in the last 5 years. I bred the Yorkshire strain of leeks from the Joe Jones leek crossed with the Molyneax the parent seeds came from a leek that Joe Jones gave me the last year he grew them, he had a stroke and I used to travel 3 times a week from Richmond to Stanhope in Weardale and look after them for him, he was 4th that year at Ashington, he gave me a super leek that I looked after and that was the parent, It was the last year he ever grew as he died shortly afterwards, we lost probably the finest Pot Leek grower to have ever lived and I regret he never had chance to grow the Yorkshire Green, what would he have done with those? we will never know.
Below the very first Yorkshire Giant seen, it was at Harrogate Autumn Show on our stand, it measure 19.5 in circumference and was 6 inches to the button.
Below Pot Leek Yorkshire Green taken in 2001 the first year I released it, these war on my garden seats.
Anyway he left us his legacy in the Yorkshire strain and I will continue to try and breed new leeks but they take time. Pot leeks require starting around November time and to grow them really well you must have Grow Lights our T5 Fluorescent units are ideal for Pot Leeks as they give you the correct light of 6400 k that makes them have short wide flags.
When starting Pot Leeks it is essential to get hold of clean decease free stock, many Pot Leeks in the North East are infected with yellow streak virus so its hard to find clean stock. You must also ensure that your stock is free of rust. The Yorkshire Green and Giant are clean at the moment but they only have a life of about 10 years so its essential to breed new stains.
Below the Yorkshire Giant first year I grew them.
All Pot Leeks for show are grown from known strains and are propagated from grass or bubils from the mother leek seed head. See below…
The young grass must be pearly white when you take them off the head, they then need to go a seed tray filled with good clean seed compost at temperature of 65f , at this temperature they root well in 7 days they then need to be potted into 9 cm pots (1/2 litre) of good compost and placed under lights for 12 hours a day. You should be aiming to pot them on every 3 weeks so you go into 1 litre, 2 litre, 3 litre and so on until planting time around early May under cover . Always keep them almost right up to your light source so they stay short. If you grow them well from November to May under the lights you should be measuring in the region of 10 inches in circumference and be in 10 litre pots.
Below John Pearson with the Yorkshire Giant Pot Leek world record weighing 20lbs 5 ounces. Image by North News.
More to follow…..
