In article , Steve
Harris writes
I've grown some Mussleborough leeks this year on a fairly sunny spot in
sandy soil. They haven't turned out very big - about 10% are more then
1" in diameter. They smell wonderful when cut but the taste when fried
or stewed is fairly bitter. No obvious diseases or pests. I used the
hole planting method and the stems are nicely blanched

Tesco do bigger and better.

What am I doing wrong?

Just a guess - if your leeks are undersized they could have been lacking
moisture in the very dry summer of 2003, or you may not have given them
sufficient growing time. Either could have resulted in them not having
matured or ripened sufficiently and led to the bitterness in taste.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.